


A Tale of Monsters and Legends

by Khawapashi



Series: Tales of the Wild [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Finn, Alpha Kylo Ren, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, And magic swords, Angst But Not Kylo, Badass Finn, Blood and Violence, Depictions of PTSD and Anxiety, Devoted Reylo, Dom/sub, Fluff and Smut, Junk science, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Light Bondage, Luke Skywalker is kinda not nice, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Rey, Pack Dynamics, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Probably some otaku magic shit too, Renata and Rey are some badass bitches, Semi-Public Sex, There will be some blood, Werewolf Mates, all the shapeshifters, lots of smut, reylo abo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-06-29 00:28:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 102,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15718197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khawapashi/pseuds/Khawapashi
Summary: “What the fuck, Argent, Rey is in heat -"The phone slid suddenly from his boneless grip, and Rey gathered herself up on her knees, fingers quickly working open the leather fastenings keeping her gagged. Kylo fell to his knees and she was there, wrapping herself around him from behind, murmuring nonsense words to calm him.“He’s back," he whispered. “Luke Skywalker."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel - I highly recommend reading A Tale of Tooth and Claw, the preceding work. All the warnings from that fic still stand - there's a lot of sex, rough sex, bondage, battles, blood and gore - if any of that ia triggering to you, PLEASE DON'T READ. I don't want to be responsible for someone else's panic attack, I have enough of my own.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s back," he whispered. “Luke Skywalker."
> 
> He didn’t move, or try to explain his shocked reaction, so Rey picked up his phone, noticing it was still on the call.
> 
> “Nat? What’s going on?"
> 
> “Skywalker claims he’s found a ‘cure’ for the polymorphism mutations,” the other woman said grimly. Because she was in heat, and had spent the last three hours gagged and being thoroughly fucked, it took her brain a second to catch on.
> 
> “Wait… A cure? Why would anyone… It’s not a disease!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I don't do slow burn, I do plot slow burn, so... Come for the smut, stay for the plot!

   

“Fuck,” Kylo growled in her ear, his warm breath making her lean back in pleasure. Her jaw was starting to ache, and she was pretty sure she had drooled like… everywhere… but somehow the gag was calming. There was no need to agonize over random thoughts or how to express what she needed, so she was free to just sort of close her eyes and let her mate and her hormones carry her away. And God, had he, she was sore and sated and mostly ready to take a nap once his knot released, if he would let her. He seemed able to predict her needs with perfect accuracy, and Rey was actually impressed with how he knew exactly what she needed even when she herself didn’t.

But right now, what she really needed was for his fucking phone to stop ringing. The strains of Renata’s backwoods country song finally ceased, for the third time, but it was quickly replaced by the Harry Potter theme from Rey’s phone. Both of which were on the coffee table, on the other side of the room.

Rey whined, plaintively, her hands drifting towards her face, and he pulled her as close as he could with his wrists still bound by the handcuffs.

“No, you leave that thing on until I say otherwise, omega. We’re not done here.” He mouthed at her mating mark, where he had bitten her again tonight, leaving it sensitive and painful. She moaned as his tongue moved over her skin, from the mark up along her neck, tracing the shell of her ear. Her inner muscles clenched around him, and she squirmed in his arms, chasing the thrill of pleasure already building in her spine.

His hands slid down, where she lay half-sprawled over him, his leg twined with hers to hold her open so he could thumb her apex while his knot stretched inside of her. A few firm circles of his strong fingers and she was cresting again, slick gushing out and giving just enough lubrication that he was able to very carefully slide out of her.

Her head fell back onto the pillow as he gently rolled her to her back and got up, cursing, to find his phone.

“What the fuck, Argent, Rey is in heat -"

The phone slid suddenly from his boneless grip, and Rey gathered herself up on her knees, fingers quickly working open the leather fastenings keeping her gagged. Kylo fell to his knees and she was there, wrapping herself around him from behind, murmuring nonsense words to calm him.

“He’s back," he whispered. “Luke Skywalker."

He didn’t move, or try to explain his shocked reaction, so Rey picked up his phone, noticing it was still on the call.

“Nat? What’s going on?"

“Skywalker claims he’s found a ‘cure’ for the polymorphism mutations,” the other woman said grimly. Because she was in heat, and had spent the last three hours gagged and being thoroughly fucked, it took her brain a second to catch on.

“Wait… A cure? Why would anyone… It’s not a disease!” Kylo gave an angry huff of agreement, and Rey spared him a quick glance. He seemed to be getting over the shock of the sudden news, but his expression was still dark.

“He announced it in a press conference. Leia was there, too." _Leia?_ She couldn’t be on his side, could she? “She says she wouldn’t take it herself, but she thinks people should have the _choice_.”

"Oh.”

"Rey,” Kylo held his hand out for the phone and she handed it over obediently. He gave her a long, contemplative look before holding it up to his ear awkwardly. “Thank you, Renata. I trust you can still take over leadership duties for the next few days? We’ll make sure to keep in touch.”

He got to his feet, setting the phone on the nightstand where it was within easy reach, then turned to Rey.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to take that off, but since you did, we might as well hydrate.” He opened the mini fridge in the room and handed her a water.  Rey sat on the bed, downing it obediently under his watchful gaze, then he finished his and stared at her, his eyes taking on a familiar glaze.

“I really think we should -"

“No." 

He lifted the gag from the table and held it out again. Frowning, Rey eyed her mate, scrambling back on the bed as he tried to stand between her legs.

“Kylo, please. I’m scared. I need an explanation! What exactly is going on, why is your uncle -”

"Because the only thing Luke Skywalker hates more than _me_ is _himself._ And I don’t want to talk about this right now.” He moved towards her and she darted from the bed, but with him standing between her and the and the exit, Rey was fighting a losing battle.

He was difficult enough to control during his rut when her body wasn’t sending out a flood of ‘come fuck me’ pheromones, she knew if he got close, his touch would drain the fight out of her completely. The only thing keeping her from capitulating right now was the anxiety surging through her at the thought of Luke Skywalker and Leia putting forward a ‘cure’ that could very easily become a mandatory treatment, especially given the current political climate. Thoughts of abortion activists and civil rights struggles filled her head, with images of dystopian movies and screaming evangelists playing on repeat, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

“Alpha," she whispered plaintively as he approached with cautious steps. Annoyed and horny as he was, he still didn’t want to hurt her, and deep inside she knew that, but… being in heat seemed to ramp up her anxiety to an eleven. “Please, I’m _scared_ -"

Abruptly he stopped in his tracks, lifting his face to taste her scent, and his entire demeanor changed. He laid the gag on the table and held his hands out, beckoning her with the clear intention of providing comfort.

“Shhh… okay, okay. It’s alright, Rey, come here.” She sniffled, feeling tears prick her eyes, and then she broke, unable to resist the beacon of warmth and comfort and safety his arms provided. Of course it would be okay, Kylo was her mate, her alpha, he had killed for her and crossed half the globe to rescue her.

She ducked between his cuffed wrists, coming up to lay her head on his shoulder, and he held her to him, smoothing her hair and whispering soothing nonsense in her ear while she sobbed.

“I brought your medication. Do you want to take it now, or do you want to play a little more? Let me take of you, I’ll make you forget all about my stupid fucking family.” He kissed her ear, her neck, and the glands nearby, and Rey shivered as her body begged again for release. “That’s it, sweetheart, it’s alright, let go for now..."

With some help from her, given his own bindings, he slid down to his knees and pushed her legs apart, darting his tongue out to tease her, until her arousal slid warm and heavy from inside and she blossomed under his attentions.

“Fuck, you smell good. But not as good as you taste…” Suddenly he was tugging on her hips, and Rey lost her already precarious balance, letting Kylo help her to her knees. He kissed her hard as soon as she was steady, forcing his tongue into her mouth until she moaned with need. “Yes. You like it too, don’t you? Say it."

“I like the way I taste on your tongue,” she said breathlessly. She leaned in, greedy to prove it to him, and he let her suck his lip into her mouth, nipping hard before she sucked her taste from his tongue with soft whimpers of pleasure.

“Will you let me fuck you now? Be a good girl for me, sweetheart. I know you hate this, but trust me.” He caught her eyes, his own flashing golden for a brief moment, making the base animal instincts in her brain sit up and beg.

“Yes. Yes, please, Kylo. I - I’m sorry - I’ll be good, I’ll take the gag again - I trust you.” She reached blindly toward the table, finding the device and biting into it, lowering her head obediently for him to fasten.

“That’s my good, sweet omega." Slick spilled between her legs at his praise, her instincts surging with delight. _Yes, yes, I’ll be so good for you, fuck me, hold me, protect me. Alpha._

“Rey." She looked up at his wide, bemused eyes. “I heard that."

 _Oh…_ She stared at him, then gave a sort of shrug. She wasn’t going to apologize for the half-coherent musing of her hormones, and there wasn’t much she could do to stop her thoughts. If he wanted to fuck her, he would have to cope with it somehow, and she reached between them and grasped him firmly with both hands, satisfying herself that he most definitely _did_ want to fuck her.

“It’s fine, Rey. Actually, I like it.” He smiled, a sort of almost shy look of affection in his eyes that somehow made her want him inside her all the more. _Good, I’m a good girl, please fuck me, knot me, I need you, I need your knot, please, alpha… “_ You want my knot already?”

Wide-eyed, she nodded, and he kissed her forehead sweetly before motioning awkwardly with his arms. “Turn around and ride me then, you’re the one who can move.”

Very quickly, with limited amounts of repositioning, she managed to situate herself, straddling his lap and reaching down to fit him to her. They moaned together as she slowly sunk down, savoring every inch as he filled her, until she was stretched and filled completely. She tried to ride him like he wanted, but she wasn’t fast enough to satisfy his rut, and eventually he lifted his arms from around her and pushed her forward, rising up on his knees to fuck her with a strength that shook her entire body.

_Ohgodohfuckkyloharderpleasealpha… God, you’re strong, my beautiful proud alpha, I am so lucky to have you, I would do anything for you… don’tstopdon’tstopkylo..._

“If you _talked_ like that when you were in heat, I wouldn’t have to gag you. Fuck, Rey!” He slammed into her with all his strength and she whimpered, pushed into the floor beneath him, her body singing with pleasure. His hands were on her shoulders, holding her down as he became increasingly erratic, and when his knot started to swell, she soared, waves of pleasure wracking her body as she sobbed and screamed and howled.

_God that feels good, I love your knot…_

“Good, because you’re going to take it all fucking night, omega.” She could feel his hands in her hair, gently moving it away from her shoulders so he could kiss the places where his fingers had bruised her, tending to her while he was swollen wide inside of her, locking them together. “Are you hurting? Was I too rough? I know you can take it, Rey, but I need you to tell me if I get carried away.”

She shook her head emphatically.

_No, you’re so good… I want you to mark me… I want to see it in the mirror so I can remember how well-fucked I’ve been._

“Jesus. You’re gonna kill me with that." He found the imprint of where his hands had been and pressed his thumbs into the tender flesh until she gasped and whimpered, then kissed it soothingly. “I love you so goddamn much."

 _Yes_ , she nodded tiredly. _I know._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There was a time in my life when I thought it was a curse," she answered honestly. “Where I grew up, it was considered… wrong. Demonic, by some really religious types. I used to think I’d do anything to just be...human. But I don’t think that anymore. We have a right to exist in this world as ourselves, the way we are, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes other people, just as every other human. It’s not a disease. We don’t need to be cured.” She sighed. “I can understand why some might consider it a burden, but so is being a lesbian, and no one would dare offer to cure me of that. It’s just outdated thinking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way more about Renata and her mates than you ever wanted to know...

_Thirteen years ago, when she was assigned to escort a phenomenally stupid omega reporter and his annoyed but apologetic photographer out of fucking Kandahar to the RAF airstrip, Renata Argent had hated omegas and everything that came with them. She hated the saccharine heat-scent that always wafted about at the worst possible time, and their seemingly innocent inability to prepare for something that happened every goddamn month at the same goddamn time. It would be like forgetting about her period, which was remarkably light for her, being an alpha, but she still got her fucking shot from the medics every month because who the hell would want to be dripping more fluid between their legs in the already hot/cold hell of these ragged foothills?_

_It was just basic personal responsibility, like it was her basic personal responsibility as an alpha not to try and claim the little idiot she and her team had had to divert their route to rescue and escort to safety. Even though he whined, and begged, and kept creeping up on her position to get closer to her smell, no matter how many times she had to command him to get back in formation. She had hated that little idiot more than she’d hated anyone she’d met outside of her own family, hated him when they were caught by an unexpected patrol of warlords and had to reroute, and half her people were blown to shreds by an IED in the middle of the night because she was too distracted by his whining. Hated him for still being alive, when he’d crawled to her through the wreckage of their convoy and begged her to protect him._

_Alpha, please. Hated him when it became clear that they would be captured, and his begging had changed. Please. You know what they’ll do. Please. Alpha._

_His scent would distract them. Argent was a renowned sniper. He could lure them away… She couldn’t hate him after that. He’d saved all their lives, even if it led to Ishida mistakenly catching her in the blast of his divine fire. They had not had the time to explain to his photographer that it had been the omega’s idea. And Renata bore the scars of her failure to protect, to do the one thing alphas were supposed to do for an omega._

Ishida was watching the review of Luke and Leia’s press conference with Innara held tightly in his lap. She watched them through the glass sliding doors of the beachfront mansion quietly for a while before stepping inside. The calm before the storm.

“Alpha!"

She caught his eyes over Innara’s head as her omega mate rushed to cling to her, to reach down and press her hand against the inside of Renata’s thigh, opposite her fire-branded right side, where the weretiger had left her mating bite. She knew he was thinking of the reporter - Daniel, it wasn’t fair to erase his name - and their argument afterwards when he’d accused of her of being the most pathetic excuse for an alpha he’d ever seen while she lay recuperating from her wounds.

_I hate this. All of it. If I could just be human, I’d take it over this alpha bullshit any day. Being a cat isn’t worth it._

_It had shocked him, her virile hatred of what she was, of what they were and the burdens that came with that power. But at that time, she couldn’t see it as anything but a burden, it brought her only pain and grief and self-hatred. Wolves had packs. They were common, mates were easy to find, even for a female alpha. But Renata had the audacity to be a special combination of rare, as her super ops commander had so eloquently put it. The lynx was… whatever it was, there were better totems obviously, but it made her Native American heritage unquestionable, and she took some pride in that, even if everyone in Oklahoma had some Indian blood, indigenous shifters were rare and she was welcomed warmly by tribal authorities. She could make her peace with it, knowing she carried a spiritual link to her father’s people, whom she would otherwise never have known._

_Being and alpha was harder. For a while she’d tried desperately to hide it, but keeping secrets in the military was impossible, and there was no mistaking the banding on her wrist during her physical. The examining doctor had been so surprised, he had to bring in another physician, an expert on supernaturals, who wanted her permission to use her files for research. It would be anonymous, of course, and she had laughed at that._

_“How many indigenous female alphas do you know?" She had asked. “How many lynxes do you know?" They were endangered for fuck’s sake. "How many have platinum hair and green eyes and abnormally keen eyesight?”_

_No, she emphatically refused to participate in any research, even if she were a genuine freak of genetics. She didn’t plan on having children (they weren’t even sure she could ), so there was no reason to keep records for posterity. When she was assigned overseas, she was prescribed hormone regulators to shut down her minimal monthly cycles, and an estimated dose of suppressants that had to be specially calculated for her height and weight, because alphas weren’t supposed to be short, small-boned creatures, but lynxes were compact - a lot of power crammed into a body only slightly larger than a house cat. The suppressants worked mainly by shutting down everything , even her emotions and sense of smell were numbed, but she was perfectly fine with that, and for nine fucking years she had kept her designation to herself._

_And then the doctor refused to continue her high dosage suppressants while she was recovering after they shipped out of Kandahar. The base commander had given an order for emergency heat procedures, and the coward of a medic on duty had reported her. She had been almost forcibly marched to the steel outbuilding that served as the base’s heat quarters and locked in with the wide-eyed omega, an officer no less, with nothing more than a hasty apology and orders for her to ‘take care of things.’_

_That had been… an experience. Renata had no idea what she was doing. She’d never had sex of any kind, but she knew in a vague sort of way that she preferred women, she just didn’t really know how that… actually worked. And Captain Holdo - Amilyn - was undeniably in heat. And like twenty years older than her. She was furious at first, pacing and refusing to speak, until the last of the numbing pain medicine left her system, and everything came to her at once in a tornado of emotion and sensation. Then she felt guilty - this poor omega had been trapped away from medics for a week, it wasn’t her fault and of course Renata would help her, how could she not? And oh, fuck, why is she crying? Nonono, stop, I’m here, I’ll take care of you, I promise… She didn’t know what to do, but she wanted desperately to try, for the first time in her life some semblance of warmth and empathy for another human being flooded her empty heart and it changed her._

_“It’s alright. We’ll help each other." She had such sweet eyes, this omega, wide and blue as the ocean. Electricity shocked her skin when Amilyn took her hand in trembling fingers, peeling back the bit of linen she used to cover her gland. She could feel it pulse, her eyes falling on the puffy, swollen skin in shock and embarrassment, but Captain Holdo wasn’t frightened in the least._

_“Sorry, I -"_

_"It’s alright, alpha. I’m glad to see you’re interested.” And while she stammered shyly, the omega pressed her lips to it, and her tongue, and suddenly Renata would have gleefully murdered anyone who came in the room. “Please," she begged with those beautiful eyes._

_“Tell me.” The command in her voice shocked her. She watched the other woman lick her wrist and whimper at the taste, and she found that she could do this. “Tell me what you want, omega. Exactly what you want."_

_It still felt unreal, afterwards. Amilyn let her go with words of gratitude, and she had gone away with a new kind of pride in herself and her body, a feeling that was almost immediately turned to shame when she faced the reaction of her unit to the knowledge that her medical leave had been extended due to an unexpected heat emergency._

_“You should have told us, Argent. We would have helped you."_

_"Seriously, you had the Commander pair you? With a stranger?”_

_Scowling, she turned her back on them. “No. It’s not what you think, and it’s none of your business."_

_Oh, she’d tried to keep it to herself, but it was all over the base in the morning. No one said anything to her, at first, but eventually she got used to eating alone, reading the sci-fi/fantasy novels Amilyn loaned her. It didn’t matter. Renata had spent her whole life alone. Her stepfather, obviously expecting another omega he could cow and plow, had kicked her out when she presented, but even before that, she’d been a loner._

_Being alone didn’t bother her. She could smell a little more acutely now, even with suppressants, so she could tell when her unit mates needed leave sometimes before they did, but after trying once to warn someone and facing the backlash, she kept her mouth shut. She got used to the increased sensitivity of her feline nose, the occasional throbbing in her wrist at a particular scent, keeping her own company… and then the questions started._

_Finally accustomed to the oddity of her existence, her coworkers and compatriots decided they needed to know how it worked. Was she positive she was an alpha? How could a woman even knot someone? When did she first present, and what happened then?_

_She started taking her meals in the officer’s mess with Holdo, where she tried to hide how absolutely miserable she was, and the omega scented her distress and comforted her gently with fan theories about their favorite books and stories about growing up in California with the famous Leia Organa living next door. The next heat was better, she scented it early, licking her lips as the Captain settled in across from her, favoring her with her gentle smile._

_“I’m sorry to ask again, but I prefer women and I… Well, I like you, Nat. But I don’t want to force it on you like before-”_

_"Yes. Yes, I’ll…” She had been so young and shy then, she hadn’t had the right words. “I like you, too. I think I might… fight anyone else who tried.”_

_This time everyone knew. They locked themselves up in Captain Holdo’s tiny but private quarters for three days. When she went back to her unit, her CO was waiting with orders for her to report to medical for psychological evaluation . Renata Argent did not cry, as a general rule. It was a waste of time she’d gotten over in her teens. But she broke down and slipped into Amilyn’s quarters that night, and every night after. She was sure they were breaking a million rules, but no one of rank enough to act on it seemed to care, and they were both too useful to be punished in any meaningful way._

And then Amilyn was promoted. She left Nat with the enchanted woven bracelet to comfortably cover her wrist, and a recommendation for promotion to special assignment, moving her into NCO status so she could take her meals in peace and didn’t have to face the disgusted stare of her sergeant. The bump in pay grade didn’t hurt either. She hunted targets in the dark with her special gear, disappearing at twilight and returning at dawn.

Two months of being utterly alone, and Renata had taken up smoking and begged the medics for the strong suppressants again. She still hated other omegas. The cigarettes only half-helped, so she took up chewing cloves like the local troops until she was caught by a flying chunk of exploding tire a year later and discharged when they decided the brain damage was permanent.

Ishida Noel had been looking for some muscle to add to his growing business, a field agent who could actually bring down targets with bounties, and she’d taken the job reluctantly after he sought her out through mutual contacts. It was surprisingly busy, and the work was fulfilling in its own way, but what really kept her attention was his sultry, doe-eyed information broker.

“Nat?” That sultry voice dragged her back to the present, sharp with fear. “What does he mean, ‘a cure’? Is that really Luke Skywalker?” Worry colored her fine features as she stared up at Renata, and she wrapped protective arms around her mate.

“Shhh..." She rested her chin on Innara’s head, inhaling her scent of tropical flowers and sandalwood, stroking her sleek, straightened hair. “No one’s going to force anything on us. Not even Skywalker. He’s just old and bitter, probably.”

"I know, Ishida’s been telling me to trust you and Kylo since I got home, but it’s just so… bizarre.” She looked up, her emerald eyes finding Renata’s. "I don’t understand why anyone would want to give this up. Like we’re diseased or something.”

Renata took a deep breath, feeling her other mate’s eyes on her.

"There was a time in my life when I thought it was a curse," she answered honestly. “Where I grew up, it was considered… wrong. Demonic, by some really religious types. I used to think I’d do anything to just be...human. But I don’t think that anymore. We have a right to exist in this world as ourselves, the way we are, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes other people, just as every other human. It’s not a disease. We don’t need to be cured.” She sighed. “I can understand why some might consider it a burden, but so is being a lesbian, and no one would dare offer to cure me of that. It’s just outdated thinking.”

Her wolf mate heaved a sigh of relief, and she watched his brow rise and fall in surprise. After everything that had happened, he’d still been uncertain. Because he knew her before.

That was thirteen years ago. So while she could look at the man on the screen, and understand something of his desire to get out from under what he felt was an unfair burden… She did not confuse sympathy for agreement.

“I mean it, Ishi. We’re in this together." She held his eyes while Innara pressed her face into Renata’s neck, sucking in her scent like it was water in the desert, and he nodded once before turning to switch off the TV.

“Any word from Kylo?"

"A little. He wasn’t entirely brain-dead alpha meat yet.” She shrugged. "He seemed as shocked as you and me. But while they’re busy, I’m in charge."

"So what do we do, Lieutenant?” Ishida asked with slight smirk at the irony of using her military title 9nce again. Renata grinned.

“For now we wait and see.” She glanced down at her watch and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Finn’s back at work, what do you say we go pay him a visit? I’m sure we could all use a drink.”

“Or two," Ishida agreed. “I’ll tell Jacen."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s your club. Your rules. I’m just warning you because you know when Rose sees this -”
> 
> “When Rose sees what?" Elle was grinning, while Finn took a deep breath and slowly turned, fliers in hand, to face the woman in question. He tried his best welcoming smile.
> 
> “Hey there, my lady love -"
> 
> "Don’t.” Rose’s face was merciless as she snagged a paper from his hand and read it over. “The Omega's Ball -"
> 
> "Read the whole thing, please,” Elle said quickly, coming to lean over the bar beside them. Frowning, Rose did, and Finn took the time to give it more careful perusal as well.
> 
> “A silent auction?” Rose asked. “That’s different. A three-day event at the Moscone, wow. Usually I hate this shit, but they really made an effort this year to not be so degrading..."

   

"What’s this?” Finn glanced at the stack of brightly-colored fliers his boss dropped on the bar by the till. His eyes fell on the bold black script, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, giving Elle a little sneak of side-eye. “The Omega’s Ball? Is it time for that already?"

"One month,” his fellow jaguar gave him her brightest smile, batting expertly-applied false eyelashes. Even on a Tuesday night, Elle’s make up was perfectly applied to the last speck of glitter. Be-ringed fingers clacked over the tablet they used for credit transactions as she tallied up sales from the previous night, frowning at one line in particular. “Senjir let Zack leave his tab open again."

"Probably hoping he’ll come back tonight to clear it up,” Finn said, sharing a knowing look with her. “I’m sure he’ll be in later.”

“Certainly thinks he’s being sly, doesn’t he?” She laughed, patting Finn’s arm. "I can’t wait to see how that plays out. Put a few of these on the tables, if you don’t mind, please." She gestured to the stack of fliers. Finn sighed.

“Rose hates this thing," he complained. “I thought it was kind of..."

"Exploitive? Demeaning? Fetishizing Omegas? A disgusting display of primitive urges we should all have advanced beyond at this point?” She rolled her eyes as Finn shifted uncomfortably. He was pretty sure he’d heard every single one of those things come from his mate at one point or another.

“Ahhh… Something like that?” He hazarded. Elle was an omega, too, and he didn’t want to get into an argument with his boss, but he felt honor-bound to defend Rose’s right to her opinions. “She’s worked really hard with Amilyn Holdo to advance omega rights -”

“Of course, Finn. And she’s right, obviously, but it also makes millions of dollars for the charities involved, and this year those charities are OLGBT and the Persephone Project, so…” She shrugged. “You can rally against society while still working from within to change it.”

He shrugged, taking a stack and making a circuit of the small club, leaving a few papers on each table and another stack at the opposite end of the bar.

“It’s your club. Your rules. I’m just warning you because you know when Rose sees this -”

“When Rose sees what?" Elle was grinning, while Finn took a deep breath and slowly turned, fliers in hand, to face the woman in question. He tried his best welcoming smile.

“Hey there, my lady love -"

"Don’t.” Rose’s face was merciless as she snagged a paper from his hand and read it over. “The Omega's Ball -"

"Read the whole thing, please,” Elle said quickly, coming to lean over the bar beside them. Frowning, Rose did, and Finn took the time to give it more careful perusal as well.

“A silent auction?” Rose asked. “That’s different. A three-day event at the Moscone, wow. Usually I hate this shit, but they really made an effort this year to not be so degrading..."

Finn was looking at something else entirely. "Alpha drinking contest… Elle! You’re _hosting_ this thing!?"

"You really don’t pay attention, do you?” She laughed at Finn’s expression of surprise. Rose elbowed him hard in the ribs.

“You cannot be serious. You didn’t tell me your _boss_ is hosting the Omega’s Ball? Kinda important information there, Finn!” He looked at Elle for help, but she simply folded her hands under chin and rested her elbows on the bar, watching.

“I didn’t find out until just now! You know I would have told you if I knew.” He scrubbed a hand over his head, again rubbing at the back of his neck. “Why do you even care, Rose? You hate this thing!”

“Usually, yeah, but if Elle’s hosting… I don’t know.” She glanced up at the other omega, her head tilted thoughtfully. “Are you still doing the parade?”

“Ugh, no. That was the first thing we threw out. No lingerie catwalk, unless you’re interested in buying a separate ticket,” she waved Rose over and went over more of the details, while Finn listened with half an ear. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was wondering how well the Big Bad Wolf could hold his liquor. Probably better than Finn, of course, but what he really wanted to see was if he could hold it better than Renata. Now that might be worth buying tickets for.

“Finn! Earth to Finn, hellllooooo?” Rose was tugging on his arm and shouting in his ear and he shook himself, looking down at her worriedly.

“What? Something wrong?”

“No, you idiot, the ball! I want to go. Elle said she’d give us free tickets.” He blinked. Tickets this close to the event would almost certainly be beyond their collective funds. Not to mention he didn’t relish the idea of other alphas ogling his wife in her underwear…

“What? No. No way, Rose, I’m not letting you wander around in lingerie for other people to try and buy like a -”

“No, no, they’re not doing that. The main event is a silent auction just for a date and it’s open entry for any designation. There’s a… special room… for the other thing, but no, look!” She gestured at the flier excitedly. "There’s two of my favorite bands playing, and the last night is open to the public for the actual dance, _and_ they have a DNA testing booth and look at all these pro-rights presenters…”

He looked up at Elle as if to make sure someone besides him was present and hearing these words come out of his mate’s mouth.

“Alright, alright… You said free tickets, but you don’t do anything for free,” he said pointedly. “So what’s the catch?"

"Why must you always ruin my fun?” She pouted momentarily with her purple-glitter stained lips, then heaved a sigh as Finn refused to look away. “Fine. Free admittance _if_ you bring your entire pack. Including your ever-so-mysterious leader and his new mate.”

“Oh," Rose sighed. Finn just rolled his eyes, taking the paper away from her and handing it back to his boss.

“Yeah, I figured it was something like that." He turned to start arranging chairs and wiping down the tables, the last step before they opened for the afternoon, and both Elle and Rose gave the same whining sigh.

“Please, Finn. We could at least ask," Rose insisted. "We can talk to Rey first.”

"Really, it’s the least you could do. Have you no loyalty to your employer at all?” Elle mocked hurt feelings that he knew she did not have.

“First," he turned and met Elle’s eyes. “You’re just my boss, Lando is my employer. Secondly, if you want to get Kylo Ren to show up at your convention, you’re gonna need more than me on your side.”

“Oh, that’s a good point!" Rose scrounged for her phone in her backpack, whispering to Elle over the bar as Finn went ahead and turned the lights on and unlocked the door. He was just turning to head back behind the bar when the door opened, and he turned, expecting to see Senjir or one of their regulars.

“Innara!" Rose squealed, and the weretiger obligingly went to join her hushed conversation with Elle, while Nat claimed a seat at the bar and Ishida and Jacen wandered over to the empty pool table.

“Whiskey, something cheap, and let’s start with a double,” Kylo’s lieutenant said without preamble. Finn frowned down at her as he poured out her drink.

“You gonna explain why you’re all invading my workspace and downing hard liquor at noon?” Finn quipped as Jacen came over to ask for two more. The long-haired beta had chosen to keep his dreadlocks despite Ishida scalding a few off, getting some magic hair woman down on the coast to weave in braids of green and purple over the scars. He downed his drink before glancing at Nat, and then he answered for her.

“You guys seen the news lately?" He gestured with his head to darkened TVs hanging over either side of the bar. Unless there was a game, Elle preferred to have them off, but she turned at Jacen’s question and came over to join them, Rose and Innara still whispering over the convention flier.

“I saw it earlier on Reddit," she admitted. “I thought better of Leia Organa, honestly, but she’s never been the same since Han left us."

"What?” Finn blinked at the grim look in the three pairs of eyes regarding him, before Renata pulled out her phone and passed it across the bar with a video loaded. He hit play, and was immediately bombarded by a noisy press conference, with Leia Organa and a rather weathered, tired-looking man beside her.

“We don’t know when it will be available," the man was saying, “but I have high hopes of coming out with a reliable vaccine in the next couple of months. As for current sufferers - I mean, people who have already Changed and don’t want to be shapeshifters - that depends on the particular genes. Some are more easily isolated than others. The lycanthrope gene, for example, is easy to isolate and with the right dosage, studies and research in clinical trials have shown positive effects of long-term intervention. It may be possible to even shut down gene expression completely, but obviously, we won’t know that until we are able to review longer trials.”

“Senator Organa, will you be getting this treatment from your brother?" A reporter asked. Finn felt his eyes widen. So that was Luke Skywalker then. He knew they were twins, but the man looked a fair bit older than his sister. He wondered if that had something to do with where he’d been all this time.

“No, I will not," Leia said firmly. “I’m happy the way I am. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think people deserve the choice, if it’s possible." Her voice was calm, level, where her brother’s sounded scratchy from disuse and almost hostile towards the very idea of polymorphism as a whole.

“What about your son? Do you think if you’d had the chance, you would have given him this vaccine?”

Leia looked haggard. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her face held a lifetime of difficult decisions.

“I don’t know," she said finally. “Being a wolf was always more difficult for Ben than it was for his father and I. But he has a mate now, and I wouldn’t want to rob him of the happiness he’s found.”

“Dr. Skywalker, you said some genes are more easily isolated than others. Can you tell us what tribes - what genes you can currently vaccinate for with this new drug?”

“I can tell you wolves are the easiest. Other canines are much the same. Because they’ve blended so much with the human population, and canines can interbreed with almost any other canine, it’s much easier to isolate… I can say it’s a lot harder with those afflicted by less-dilute blood, like some indigenous tribes, and there appears to be a spiritual component that we can’t quite isolate in lab trials, but that’s also because finding people with a strong cultural link to their affliction who are willing to undergo studies is quite difficult.”

“Sir, with all due respect," one brave woman spoke out. "Why do you keep referring to shapeshitfing as an affliction? I can only speak for myself, but I know there must be others out there who see it as a positive part of their lives. Isn’t it a little insulting to refer to it like an unwanted disease?”

“What’s your name?" Skywalker’s tone was gentle, he seemed genuinely interested in the reporter, but Finn heard Argent and Jacen take deep breaths, and braced himself for the rest.

“Sarah Walkingstick,” she answered proudly.

“Ah. You’re Native American?” She nodded, and Luke smiled. Finn decided he did not like that man’s smile, despite his calm tone. “Let me ask you, Sarah: When you were growing up, did anyone ask you if you wanted to be a… a shapeshifter? To have your reproductive system and other things - reflexes, sense of smell or eyesight - controlled by some base animal DNA?”

“No, I don’t think so,” she frowned into her own microphone. "I always wanted to be like my brothers."

"You have a lot brothers?” She nodded again. "How many?"

“Seven. I was the only girl.”

"Seven brothers, I can only imagine,” Luke chuckled and the audience joined in. Even Sarah smiled. Then his expression grew serious. "I’m curious, is your mother an omega?"

There was a hush, a few cries of outrage. Sarah looked shocked, then grim. With a shake of her head, she declined to ask the man any further questions, sitting down abruptly in her folded chair. Other reporters took her place, more shouting for Skywalker’s attention, but the video ended on a shot of Leia Organa, looking down at the grim-faced reporter with an expression of sympathy, doubt flashing in her eyes as she turned to watch her brother answer another query.

“What the fuck?” Finn stared at the video as if there were some kind of joke he wasn’t getting. “How can he just - what the - a _vaccine_?"

"Skywalker’s an omega himself,” Elle said into the silence. "Or he was. I assume he’s ‘cured’ himself now, given his aversion to our entire existence.”

They sat in silence for a while, Jacen eventually going back to the pool table with Ishida, while Renata downed two double whiskeys and waved at Finn for another. Innara sat beside her, her head on Nat’s shoulder and one arm wound in hers, the other held tightly by a solemn-faced Rose occupying her other side.

“So, Renata," Elle jumped into the silence with surprising diplomacy. "I’ve got a stack of Benjamin’s you can drink Kylo under the table. What do you think?”

Finn pointed to the advertisement on the convention flier, and the werecat actually grinned. She rolled her head, cracking her neck with a series of pops that made her mate flinch in disgust, and took in the curious expressions around her.

“Not sure. Never tried it before. I hope your alcohol budget can cope, though, because that sounds like a good time to me.” She glanced over the rest of the flier while Finn and Rose eyed each other with barely-contained excitement. If Renata was interested in going, there was just the chance she might talk Kylo into it, too. “You know normally I hate this thing.”

“You go every year anyway,” Elle pointed out. Innara snickered.

“Lots and lots of begging and bribes, love," she explained, squeezing Renata’s arm. "And no one’s ever made an offer she’d even consider. I think she likes watching them squirm."

" _You_ like prancing around in your underwear knowing every alpha in the room is drooling,” she rolled her eyes. "And you know there is not a single fucking thing on this planet worth a night of your time to me,” she winked, kissing Innara’s cheek in a rare display of public affection. “But I do like to see the offers. Hux offered me a yacht once."

"You never told me that! Renata, you love the ocean!”

“It was _Hux_ ,” she hissed.

“Good point."

"Staring deep into his eyes while I folded the paper and shredded it into his drink was more entertaining than any boat I’ve ever been on,” she added. “I see you’re not doing the catwalk this year."

"We are, it’s just in a private room with an extra $100 admission,” Elle explained.

“Hmmm. Proceeds still benefit the Peresephone Project and OLGBT?"

"Of course.”

“We’ll do it," Innara said immediately. Elle smiled, reaching across the bar to squeeze Innara’s hand.

“I knew I could count on you, at least. What I’d really like is if you can convince your leader to come and join the fun -”

“He’ll go to the convention, probably," Renata agreed. Rose squeaked in delight, and Finn lifted his brows in surprise. She shrugged. “I don’t know about the private party. He’s gone a couple times, but I always hated seeing him there. Who’s going to turn down Kylo, for fuck’s sake? And if he did make a bid, then we had to deal with _that_ fallout…”

“Surely he won’t now," Innara said. Renata laughed.

"No, of course not. I imagine Kylo and I are of the same mind as far as that goes. Not that Rey would do it anyway,” she mused, staring down into her glass.

“Are you sure?" Elle asked, blinking when all four of them nodded emphatically. “Ah, well. I had _hoped_ \- there’s a buylist going around - but I would never pressure another omega to participate. Equal rights will be strictly enforced."

"Oh, no -” Finn got out, before Rose had pulled up a few sites on her phone.

“Holy shit!" She turned it so they could all see, and even Renata’s eyebrows went up. Finn glanced towards Renata, who gave him the same look. Kylo would lose his fucking mind.

“Good thing Rey’s basically a millionaire," the werelynx said quietly into her glass. "Do me a favor and don’t anyone show that shit to her or Kylo."

Finn took one more look just to reaffirm what his eyes had told him, then handed the phone back to Rose. Inwardly, he agreed with Renata’s assessment, any involvement with omega heat-night activity would be unacceptable to Kylo, but part of him thought of stubborn, orphan Rey and her two-packs of ramen and a carton of eggs per week grocery budget and, well…

“I’d really like to show Rey just how fucking much her time is worth now," he shook his head. "She’s been broke her whole life. I know, I know how it sounds, but…”

“Half a billion dollars is a lot of money,” Rose agreed. “Like… I can think of maybe two or three things I _wouldn’t_ do for that kind of money.”

Elle frowned at the lost chance for the house’s cut of that $550 million dollars. “Honey, that’s only the starting bid," she sighed.

"Christ,” Renata downed her drink and dropped it on the bar with a loud thunk. “All of you shut the fuck up. Rey is Kylo’s mate and our friend and she’s not ‘worth’ any amount of money. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“We’re just gossiping, Nat, it’s harmless," Innara tried to explain.

"Yeah, I mean, Rey’s my friend too," Finn complained. “I’m just saying she’d be shocked."

"Do. Not. Make. Me. Command. You.” She let her glare travel from Finn and Elle back to Innara. “Understand?"

Unhappily, they all nodded or made sounds of agreement, and Finn poured her another round while Rose and Innara went to watch the game of pool and Elle disappeared into the back office.

Renata sipped her whiskey, watching her friends and mates play pool, and tried to convince herself the ominous feeling in her gut was just a result of this fucking day, and not a warning of times to come… Fuck. She’d be glad when Rey’s heat was over and Kylo was back in charge, but then she’d have to deal with non-sexed out Kylo fuming over his shitty fucking family, and keeping their pack together when Rose and Finn seemed determined to let slip how much people were planning on offering for a heat night with Rey at the omega catwalk, and she wasn’t sure there was enough whiskey in this entire fucking bar to prepare for that meltdown...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any bets on who will win that drinking contest...?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just smut, really, but I promise the next few chapters will be chock full of delicious angst and drama once the honeymoon is over.

Rey didn’t cry much, normally. It was a waste of time, it never solved anything, and if anyone saw her, it made her seem vulnerable. But Kylo… She could be vulnerable around him in a way she simply couldn’t around anyone else. Perhaps because he seemed to know what it meant, the incredible intimacy that was just them. He didn’t even have to say anything, but she knew he understood. She could see it reflected in the way his eyes moved over her face, the little muscle twitch on the left that indicated he felt something equally overwhelming, if not quite the same.

Gently, he took her phone from her nerveless fingers and laid it beside his on the bedside table. Then he climbed in next to her and pulled her against him, the weight of his arms soothing and possessive, his scent wrapped around her like a blanket. Rey turned her face against his neck, practically huffing his scent, until she had enough to soothe the hard ball of lead in her chest and the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.  _ Alpha is here, everything is okay, let him protect you… _

“Rey? Can I…” She pulled back, a smile coming to her lips as he tried  _ very hard _ to figure out what to say. While her heat seemed to be winding down a bit, Kylo’s brain had gone full rut, and she hadn’t minded, but she did have to bribe him to take a shower by promising to swallow his cock when he was through. He’d just used hot water exactly as she asked, rinsing without washing away their combined scents, which she was now extremely grateful for. She thought she might have started sobbing all over again if he came back and her stupid brain got the idea that he didn’t like her smell on him.

“I keep my promises," she assured him, slowly kissing her way down from his neck. Really any distraction would be welcome right now, but something that provided them both with relief from their physical needs she was even more happy to perform. She was kissing and nipping his inner thigh when he spoke again.

“Were you crying? Was it that video?”

“Shhh… We can talk later. I want to do this right now.” Of all the things… He’d insisted on setting the whole Skywalker thing aside before, why did he want to bring it up now?

“Okay, but… Are you upset?”

Growling, she nipped his thigh  _ hard _ and was rewarded by his harsh groan of surprise and desire. Rey slowly wrapped her fingers around his cock, her eyes locked on his.

“Kylo?"

"Yes, sweetheart?”

“We will talk..." she emphasized her point with firm strokes. “Later. Right now, I want you to fuck my mouth like an alpha. Okay?”

“I might hurt you -" He moaned as she took him in, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of him, knowing in her heat the intoxicating combination of their mingled essence and the strong musk of his arousal would relax her. “Ohhh - Rey - Please let me -"

_ Yes, yes, please, do whatever you want, fuck me, take me, I’m yours aren’t I? _

Her mouth salivated readily as he lifted his hips, his hands on the back of her head as strong as steel, holding her while he thrust with increasing ferocity, her name rising from his pants and moans.

She had just enough sense to pull back when she felt his knot filling out, but when he spilled in her mouth she swallowed everything, and she let him hold her there until he came back to himself. He stroked her hair and face, and she let go of him finally, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and frowning at the smear of blood. Kylo’s eyes widened and he was on his knees in a second, holding her face in his hands, his thumb tracing the corner of her mouth where it had cracked slightly.

“I hurt you," he murmured, frowning. “That’s not… I shouldn’t have been so rough, I’m sorry.”

She tongued the tiny abrasion and shrugged. “It’s fine, my lips were just chapped. Don’t overreact."

"I’m not… Rey. Alphas who hurt their mates like that are… terrible people. I don’t want to be one of those people, I love you… I adore you,” he was still looking into her eyes worriedly, concern etching his every feature. “Let me… Let me take care of you, please. Anything. Anything you want, Rey, please…”

She raised an eyebrow. “Anything?"

"Name it, I swear.”

She glanced to the bedside table, and the various instruments arrayed. Kylo followed her gaze, looking slightly less certain now of his promise. Rey pointed first to the gag.

“Put it on, I’m tired of you whining at me.”

“I don’t  _ whine _ -" She just met his eyes, stare for stare, until he finally conceded and put the damn thing between his teeth.

“Now," she turned, lying flat on her stomach, stretching her legs out around him languidly. "I’m exhausted, so I’m going to lie here and you’re going to fuck me while I relax and enjoy it. Let's see how many times you can make me come before you knot me. And it had better be a  _lot_ do you understand?"

She craned her head around to see his eager nod.

“Good.” She lifted her hind end a little, invitingly, and gave a moan of delight as he explored with his hands, finding her entrance slick and ready. His fingers filled her, holding her open while he nudged inside far enough to continue thrusting with his hips alone, using his hands to around her waist to pull her to him. Rey rested her forehead against the mattress, breathing in soft gasps as he pumped into her with increasing strength, the angle perfect for that deep, greedy place inside her.

“There.  _ There _ , Kylo! Harder - please, alpha, fuck me, I know you can do it harder!” She could tell by the way his hands trembled around her waist that he was fighting to hold back, and Rey growled and writhed against him, needing,  _ craving _ more. “I can take it, I swear. I need you to be rough, Kylo.”

She craned her head around to find his eyes, to make sure he understood that she knew what she was asking for and wanted it. His eyes held her, the whites made more vivid against his dilated pupils, watery and full of his own dark needs.

“Yes," she murmured, responding though she wasn’t even sure of the question. "Whatever you want, I’m yours."

She saw him reach towards the bedside table and ducked her head back to rest against her arms, folded beneath her. For a while he just pounded her, all of his strength and violence unleashed upon her welcoming body, pushing her up and over her crest multiple times, leaving her trembling and gulping in breaths.

He pulled back before his knot swelled, and Rey turned her head, words of protest dying on her lips when she saw him with the lubricant and the vibrator. He didn’t look up, but she could see the set of his jaw and the careful, methodical attention with which he prepared, and she had a good idea of what was coming.

Eye closed, she turned and prepared to bite down on her wrist, as his warm fingers explored above her already aching center. He was cautious at first, pausing after squeezing in a full three fingers to stroke her back and then thumb her front, drawing her teasingly close.

“I know what you’re doing, you filthy son of a bitch, and if you don’t go on, I will retrieve your stupid fucking sword from wherever you have it hidden and  _ murder _ you with it,” she threatened finally, desperate to have at least some part of her filled by more than just his fingers. She didn’t need to see him to imagine the smirk that went all the way to his eyes.

This vibrator was thicker, she was almost afraid to think of how far inside her he had shoved it, but it soothed the ache in her belly. And when he switched it on and went back to sliding his fingers in and out of her above it… it didn’t take long for her to ascend into a moaning, sobbing climax, drawn out by the electric pulsing.

“Now," she whispered, practically boneless beneath him. She still bit her wrist in anticipation, and then to muffle her scream.

He was so big, even slathered in lubricant and aided by the relaxed state of her body in heat. She growled, low and menacing, enough for him to pause.

“Let me… breathe…”

His hand slid up her spine, his wide grip wrapping around her neck in the universal signal for submission, and she felt herself go limp under the press of her own instincts. It was a dirty trick normally, for an alpha to use base biology to override another’s will, but in this case it helped - Rey moaned as he slid deeper, filling her from above and below. She was shocked when he sheathed himself fully, his hand still firmly around her neck, keeping her still and compliant.

“Kylo..." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, sweat and tears streaking her face. " _ Alpha _ ..."

She wanted to tell him to stop, to pull back -  _ it’s too much, please _ \- but like always, he knew her better than she knew herself. Because when he started to move, slowly, gently, the toy still humming delightfully below him…

“Oh, God..." She did scream, until her voice was a hoarse screech. Her poor wrist was peppered with deep impressions of her teeth, but Rey was accustomed to bruises. She was not accustomed to being so thoroughly fucked her whole body throbbed in a series of blissful waves that may have just been one long, continuous climax. If she’d thought she was exhausted before… this was something far beyond it.

It was just as well Kylo took it upon himself to carry her to the shower and gently wash away the mess he’d made of her body. Rey couldn’t have moved if the room was on fire. She did give a rough squeak of protest when she smelled soap, but he soothed her with kisses and praises.

“I just want to wash your hair. I’ll be careful, I promise.” He nuzzled her neck, lapping over his mating bite for the hundredth time, and she sighed and leaned back in his arms. “You were so good, sweet little Rey. My sweet mate.”

He was doing the rut babbling thing, sounding very un-Kylo like, but Rey was too far gone to care. She let him wrap her in soft towels and comb her hair and arrange her gently in bed, spooning himself around her to whisper praise and affection in her ear.

 

 

An hour later, when he woke her with his mouth on her nipple, she whined at him partly from exhaustion and partly because she could still feel herself responding, even after all of that. Her eyes found the digital display of the bedside clock and she tried in vain to figure out if it was am or pm.

“I’m sorry, you’re sore, aren’t you?" He blinked up at her with such a tender expression, she couldn’t find it in her to turn him down.

“I am, but I still want you." She laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of all of it, and he climbed up to grace her with one of his rare, transformative smiles.

“I’m glad. I was afraid you’d have to cuff me again," he kissed her, still smiling, and Rey smiled back, lifting a hand to push firmly against his chest, shoving him over so she could crawl on top.

“Don’t get too excited, I still might.” She was sore all over, but somehow there was enough fluid for her to slide over him. Kylo gave a sudden, startled yelp and she opened her eyes to see an embarrassed flush ghosting his pale cheeks.

“Sorry," he laughed weakly. “It’s just -"

“Sore?" She guessed, gently guiding him in to his full depth, until they both sighed at the completion. Kylo reached for her and Rey leaned down, letting him wrap her in his arms as she slowly rocked her hips.

“Was it too much?"

“Why do you always act like I’ll fall apart? It never stops you.” She drew back just enough to meet his gaze. "Admit it,  _ mate _ , you like to be rough."

“Okay. You’re right.” Suddenly his hand was in her hair, dragging her down so he could speak directly into her ear. “But you like it just as much as I do,  _ mate. _ "

Rey smiled, rolling her hips until she felt him stiffen just slightly. “Of course I do. But maybe I want to be a little rough with you. Think you can handle it, my big sturdy alpha?”

His eyes found hers and for a moment they stared each other down, irises taking on a golden sheen, before Kylo ducked his head in a shocking show of submission.

“Do your worst, omega.”

Half a dozen thoughts flitted through her head, but given the state of their bodies, she threw out most for a later opportunity. Kylo’s eyes followed her, lips parting as she lifted herself off of him and lay back on the bed, her legs spread with a pointed stare directed his way.

“Well?” He looked for a moment as if he would argue, then he all but lunged towards her. Rey stopped him with a foot braced against his shoulder. “Wait. What are you doing?”

“Don’t you want me to eat you out?" He stilled, confusion spread across his face. "I don’t mind, Rey, just tell me-"

“Ask."

He blinked at her, slowly growing puzzled. “Ask? For what? To let me eat you out?”

At her nod, Kylo exhaled, his eager expression growing hungry and dark. He turned his head, kissing the fine bones of her ankle before slowly working his way up her leg. By the time he reached her thigh she felt herself aching, the gnawing emptiness of her heat not quite past, and she knew he could scent her from the way he looked up expectantly.

“Rey. I know you need it. Let me taste you.” He crawled over her until his hot, panting breath reached the abused nerves between her folds, and her hips twitched unintentionally. Kylo gave a sly smile, kissing her hip, her thigh, the smooth skin below her navel. If she couldn’t feel his quickened breathing, she would have thought he was almost indifferent, content to languidly torture her.

“Omega," he rasped, eyes closing as she spread her legs wider to give him room. “ _ Please _ ."

"Ahhh,” she sighed, and his eyes found her smiling. “That’s the magic word. Good boy."

With his own sigh of relief, he fell upon her, lapping up the slick that spilled from her entrance and thrusting his tongue within as deep as he could to lick it from the source. And Rey sprang her trap, locking him there with her thighs squeezed tight and her hands gripping his hair with all the strength she could muster. Kylo growled, rumbling through his chest, and she growled back, flexing her fingers.

“No, you stay there until I’m done with you," she hissed. “I’m going to fuck your face this time, don’t act like you don’t like it."

She lifted her hips in emphasis and felt his hands slide beneath her, gripping her thighs and holding her apart while she thrust against his desperate tongue. He breathed her in with his nose buried in her slick flesh, but he never tried to break free, eagerly applying himself to the task. She hardly felt his hand slide down her thigh until his finger penetrated below, and she came with a surprised moan, but refused to release him once he’d eased her through it.

“No, no… Keep going, please, Kylo!” She begged, and he responded with continued efforts, his mouth moving to suck gently at her swollen apex. “Yes, fuck! You’ll let me do this all night, won’t you?"

"Yes,” he mumbled quickly, between breaths. He laved her gently, slowly edging her beyond overuse into the realm of pleasure again, more of his fingers filling her, above and below, weathering her squeezing thighs and scratching fingernails that occasionally slipped into claws. Rey let him work her through two more climaxes before the need to be filled overwhelmed her and she let him go, pushing back on his shoulders until he rose up on his knees.

“God, you’re beautiful," she told him, admiring his flushed face and swollen lips. She got to her knees as well, kissing him and reveling in the taste of them mingled on his tongue. His huge hands clasped her shoulders, holding her still while he plunged into her mouth like he had between her legs.

“Rey," he gasped as he broke away, eyes wild with need. “Can I fuck you now? Please, any way you want, I just need to feel you.”

She was already turning, going to her hands and knees before him. It didn’t take more than a glance over her shoulder for him to understand the permission was granted, and he hastily grasped around her hips, pulling her up with one hand while the other slid down her back and pushed her shoulders down.

“I need your knot, Kylo.” She sighed as he entered her, not caring if he fucked her long enough to make her come so long as that painful ache was soothed.

“I know, sweetheart. It won’t take long." 

  
  


Later, while she lie underneath him with Kylo propped on his elbows above her, kissing her neck and mouthing at his mating mark as they waited for his knot to deflate, Rey thought she could die right then and be happy with her life.

“But I would be alone again,” he whispered, kissing the tip of her ear.

“Can you hear  _ everything _ I’m thinking now?" She craned her neck painfully to look at him. “I’m not sure I like that."

"Why? Don’t keep secrets from me, Rey, I am not a patient person-”

“Oh, shut it, idiot." She rolled her eyes. “What if I’m planning something nice for your birthday or something? What if we get married and you’re not supposed to see the dress? What if I’m thinking something really dirty in front of -”

“Do you want to?" His voice was suddenly low, and she frowned, trying to think of what she’d said to upset him, omega instincts whining at her to soothe, apologize,  _ I’m sorry, alpha, I’ll make it better, please don’t be mad - _ “Shush, Rey. I’m not mad.” He covered the back of her neck with his teeth, gently calming her. “You said ‘what if we get married.’ Do you want that, Rey? Do you want to marry me?”

She gasped, and it had nothing to do with the softening of him inside of her. Very slowly, trying to keep her mind as empty as possible, she rolled over to see his face, searching for any kind of indication of what he wanted.

- _ Mother will probably give me Padme’s ring if ask, but I don’t know if she wants jewelry, maybe a klaive would be better? She won’t want anything big - beach maybe, at night, under the half-moon? - _

Rey couldn’t help it, her smile was too generous, and when their eyes met, she was caught like a child with her hand in the cookie jar. “On the beach under the half-moon? I think I like that… Padme was kind to me, but you’re right, I don’t wear jewelry much. A sword though… that would be interesting…”

His eyes practically bulged, and Rey grinned apologetically. “Sorry, I don’t know how to turn it off. I suppose that’s why Obi-wan and Ezra were practically hermits…” She frowned, chewing her lip until his fingers stilled her.

“You really are the most stunning woman I’ve ever known,” he kissed her, worrying her lip with the sharp fangs of a wolf. “I’ll get you a klaive. Ishida can make them, I think.”

“ _ The _ most stunning woman you’ve ever known?”

“Yes, Rey, believe it or not, I have encountered my mother numerous times in my life.” He kissed her forehead. "Let’s just say, at the very least, you’re her equal, but you’re more to me. Because you’re  _ mine _ .”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your breasts are perfect, I’m happy to cook for you whenever you like, and if you’ll let me, I will gladly keep your house and… take up needlepoint or some shit, if you want to really flip all the stereotypes, okay?” He slid his arms around her again, still beneath the sweater, and she let him pepper her face and neck with kisses. “You’re my mate, I only want you. We can do this however you want. Okay?

   

"You really want to go to this thing? It sounds awful,” Rey looked from Rose to Innara. “What is this bit about a private show room for $100?”

“That’s the catwalk, love,” Innara informed her with a languid smile. “So the other alphas can see what they’re missing."

"Yeah, and bid on your heat nights, it’s disgusting,” Rose scowled. "I know what you’re thinking, but we don’t have to go to that. Look, The Alliance is playing, and there’s a guest panel on eugenics with Ahsoka and Dr. Aphra and the Persephone Project has a corner booth -”

“That’s the people who provide housing and medical resources for trafficked omegas?” She’d seen them once or twice at the Purple Panther, hosting open mic and karaoke nights. Finn always gave them half of his tip money. Amilyn Holdo, CEO of Organa Tech now that Leia had taken a more advisory position, was on their board of directors.

“They do a lot more than that," Innara explained. “Some of Nat’s targets came from them. OVPN used to host their sites and they slipped in notes when they could.”

“Renata was assassinating omega traffickers?" Rey glanced up, where Kylo and his lieutenant sat across from each other over a chessboard, occasionally growling out curses.

They - well, actually Rey and Finn, on paper - had rented the three-bedroom walkup from Lando, Finn’s employer and owner of the Purple Panther. It was that or go back to the trailer across the bay, and some of them still had jobs to get to. Not that Rey really needed to work, but San Francisco was expensive as hell, and despite what Luke Skywalker was doing, she still had some faith in Leia. Plus, Poe wasn’t great at double-checking his code, and someone had to keep Jess from spending the entire day on Reddit and Twitter. And she refused to let her designation rule her life choices. Rey would be damned if she became a house omega like Unkar Plutt predicted just because she happened to stumble into a small fortune.

Kylo and Nat were still on house arrest as well, which meant Rey and Innara had to have a verifiable address (complete with random visits from their parole officer) and even if Innara could do most of her contracting work from home, she still had to meet clients and occasionally drop off or pick up equipment. But finding a place big enough for all of them where Finn and the others could actually contribute an equal share in rent had been difficult, and three bedrooms was the best they could manage. A room divider and a pull-out couch made a fourth bedroom out of the small “office nook" at the top of the stairs for Jacen, and thankfully the place had two bathrooms, although the tiny angular shower Rose and Finn shared with him upstairs could hardly be called a “full bath."

It worked, for the most part, because they made it work - or rather, Rey and Rose and Innara made it work. Having three alphas in a pack was unheard of, and the fact that they were all thoroughly mated only barely kept them civil when tempers flared. Luckily Jacen was fully capable of holding back Finn _and_ Kylo, while Renata had taken to just racing out the cat flap to prowl until she got herself under control.

Tonight they were all in good humor, although Rey couldn’t see it lasting once Kylo discovered what the three omegas were whispering about. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he leaned back to study the chessboard, running a hand through his hair while he thought.

“I swear, I’m gonna get a timer, Solo,” the female alpha threatened.

“Yeah, yeah -"

"Rey. Rey!” Rose waved a hand before her face and she ducked back to the flier, blushing at being caught ogling her mate. “You’ve had two heats now, girl, learn to focus!”

“Oh, I don’t know," Innara grinned over at her, a teasing smile on her lips. “He is very distracting. I always sort of hoped he’d offer, but he and Nat are too close for that, I suppose.”

“Offer? For what?" Rey caught the older woman’s bright green eyes, giving a small noise of shock at what she found there. “You mean -" her eyes darted back down to the paper, then up, and then she was on her feet, fangs sliding down into her mouth as a possessive rage filled her.

“Dammit, Innara, did you seriously just…?” Rose shook her head, rushing to get between them as Rey started to advance. “Rey! That was before you were in the picture!”

“You still like him, I saw you look!” She reached out to shove Rose aside, and found her arms held from behind, a soothing breath of warmth washing over her neck. “Kylo," she sighed.

"Rey. Why are you threatening Innara?” He asked quietly. She looked up to see the weretiger had backed away, behind the alert but calm frame of her own alpha. Of course, she was the perfect omega, wasn’t she? Soft, quiet, sexy, nonviolent. Even Rose was a gentler creature than Rey, with curves in the right places and kind, patient eyes. Rey found herself suddenly annoyed by them both, and she turned, pressing her face into Kylo’s neck.

“Tell me I’m good. Please, Kylo, I need to hear it.” She sensed his concern, the concern and wariness of everyone else mingled through it. Kylo might be their leader, but they hadn’t really established a hierarchy besides that, and Rey knew there was… something about omegas, some kind of den mother-type thing, but she wasn’t the nurturing type and she couldn’t shake the fear that maybe he would want someone else one day…

“Rey.” His arms tightened around her and a sudden sob broke from her chest. “It’s okay, hey, sweetheart, it’s alright -” He lifted her carefully, and Rey was dimly aware of the others watching as Kylo carried her out to their tiny balcony, still murmuring words of praise and affection. “I love you, you’re perfect, you’re all I want. Rey, I promise -” He set her on her feet while he shut the door firmly behind them, muffling their conversation and the sounds of Rose and Innara arguing inside.

As soon as he turned she threw herself at him, hungrily nipping at his mouth and digging her nails into his shoulders. He gave in for a minute, returning her kiss with equal fervor, carding both hands through her hair to tip her head back so he could kiss her neck and shoulders. Rey’s fingers found her bite on his wrist and she brought his arm to her mouth with both hands, sinking her teeth firmly into his flesh without warning.

“Ow! - Fuck, Rey!" She looked up at him, mouth stained with his blood, and felt no remorse whatsoever. 

“Mine," she insisted, lapping at the fresh blood and coating the wound with her saliva. "Only mine, Kylo." 

“Okay, okay." Since she refused to let go of his arm, he eased around behind her, wrapping his free arm around her middle and scenting her neck, tongue and teeth rasping over her glands and his own mark.

 “You wanna tell me what this is all about?" He suggested once she’d calmed a little from his reassuring affections.

 “That thing Rose and Innara were showing me - the Omega’s Ball. Rose wants us to go, and at first I thought I’d like to see some of the bands and Ahsoka is doing a panel, but then -” she hesitated, feeling the growl rise in her throat, and he quickly calmed her with the palm of his hand over the back of her neck. 

“Then?"

 "Innara said there’s a… a private show. Where the omegas parade around in lingerie and alphas… bid on them… It’s disgusting,” she said vehemently. "But she seems fine with it. And then she said… she always hoped you would make a bid. For her. And she was _looking_ at you, and I -” 

He was laughing. She didn’t catch it at first because it was so low, but when she turned and saw his wide smile and his shoulders shaking, she glowered. “What? What part of that is funny to you?" 

"You.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead, then pulled her into a tight embrace. “Ah, my fierce mate. You were _jealous_. It’s okay, Rey. I’m jealous too. I’d never take you to that crap -” 

“Innara said you went. In the past. Before you met me.” His laughter stilled at the sight of her hard eyes, and he frowned down at her.

 “Yes. I did go." 

"Did you… Did you _make offers_ on people? You told me when we met you’d never been with an omega -” 

Kylo sighed. “What do you want, Rey? Surely you realised - I’m thirty-one. Yeah, I’ve fucked other people. I’m sorry, but I can’t change the past. So. Do you want a list? You want a detailed description of my entire history?” 

“Have you been with another omega? Did you lie to me?" Her eyes held him, and suddenly his thoughts poured into her head in a tangled mess. 

_I didn’t - they weren’t in heat - how do I say this - please, please, let me explain -_ “Fuck it.” He let go of her and took a step back, unable to meet her steel glare. "Yes. I lied, I guess. I didn’t think it would count -" 

“You _guess_?" 

“It wasn’t the same, they weren’t in heat - Phasma was, I guess, but I never fucked her, I just had her suck - God dammit, Rey, please!” His voice rose in pitch, halfway between a whine and a snarl, and his eyes flashed. “I can smell your distress!”

“Good! I am distressed! What the fuck were you thinking? I don’t even care if someone else sucked your dick or something, you _paid_ for it.” She shook her head, arms crossed over her chest as a traitorous tear slipped from her eye. Rey wiped at it hastily, refusing to cry, to show how much his admission hurt her, her stubborn pride ignoring the fact that he could scent her every emotion and possibly hear some of her thoughts. She felt the wild energy of shifting magic surge through her, and had to concentrate to keep from growing fangs or ears again. “It doesn’t matter how they feel about it, it’s brainwashing, we’re taught as soon as we present that omegas are different, we’re sought after like fucking purebred dogs - but we are all people, Kylo, no one should _want_ to be treated that way -”

“It’s a huge event, Rey! Lots of people go every year and enjoy it! Are you going to get up in front of a microphone and tell them they’re not allowed to enjoy it just because you feel like it’s brainwashing?” He was annoyed now, she could tell from how he shifted into his cocky, alpha-is-speaking stance. “I thought I’d try it, okay? I was young and dumb and lonely and there was fucking Armitage with his mate and Renata had Innara and then Ishida - I just wanted to know what it was like. So I… Yeah, I paid money, because as an _alpha_ I was taught that I _deserved_ that! So maybe think about how all of this social brainwashing isn’t just forced on any single presentation. Do you have any idea what Renata’s life has been like? Or my fucking mother? I thought you were smarter than this -”

“Oh, so now that I say something you don’t agree with, it’s stupid? That’s brilliant, Kylo.” She crossed her arms over herself while he paced, watching him with as neutral an expression as she could manage.

“It’s not that I don’t agree! I do, alright? I do agree with you.” He sighed. "But it took me a longer time to come to that conclusion, and in between I did some shitty things. I worked for Dr. Snoke, remember? And my uncle -” 

“Right, I forgot about your lovely resume."

 She knew she’d gone to far when he stopped pacing and just turned away from her, staring out over the balcony with waves of sorrow and anguish all but pouring from him. Rey closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. 

“I’m sorry. That was too far." 

"Yes it was.” He didn’t even turn around, and she backed slowly towards the door, wondering if she should just leave before her sharp mouth made things even worse. _Alpha is angry, don’t make it worse, get out of his sight, he doesn’t need you…_ Her hand was on the knob when Kylo turned, his face full of open entreaty. “Please don’t." 

Wordlessly, her eyes moved over his face, locking with his as she tried and failed to force her tongue to spit out the right words. He closed the distance between them without breaking eye contact, putting his arms around her with exaggerated care.,

“I’m sorry," she managed finally. "I just… I’m not wired right to be an omega. I don’t want to be ogled by a bunch of horny alphas, or have a ton of kids, or learn to cook and keep house and… and do crafts or whatever… and I’m not soft like them, I don’t have hips like Rose or a chest like Innara’s -” She had to stop, because he had thrust his hands under her sweater and grasped both her breasts in his hands, and she couldn’t breathe with his fingers pinching her nipples.

“Your breasts are perfect, I’m happy to cook for you whenever you like, and if you’ll let me, I will gladly keep your house and… take up needlepoint or some shit, if you want to really flip all the stereotypes, okay?” He slid his arms around her again, still beneath the sweater, and she let him pepper her face and neck with kisses. “You’re my mate, I only want you. We can do this however you want. Okay?"

 She nodded, swallowing the hard lump in her throat, and hugged him with all her strength, until he grunted slightly under the pressure. “Okay." 

"Ready to go back inside now?” 

“I don’t know… Kylo, I know we’re a pack now, but… I know there’s something I’m supposed to do, you’re the leader and I’m your mate, but I… I have no idea what it means except having your kids, which I’m not doing anytime soon, so...” His eyes narrowed and he frowned down at her, the muscles of his cheek twitching in thought.

 “You’re right, but I honestly don’t know either. I think there’s a ritual of some kind… I’ll talk to Ishida. He knows the most about werewolf society, next to my -” He looked away, and Rey sighed.

“Your mother would know?” 

“Yes." He hesitated, and she waited until he dropped his eyes back to her again. “My father was an omega. He was…” He shook his head. “It was like he held everyone together. I always knew, as a kid, if I needed someone to talk to, if somebody needed a favor, like a loan or a place to stay - Han was always there. He was there for everyone, even Luke. The pack fell apart when he - when we crashed. My mom tried, but… Chewie went home to Alaska, and Luke and I had the falling out over Snoke…”

Rey listened thoughtfully, hanging on the rare moment of Kylo actually talking about his family without growling or cursing or breaking something. She had only ever met Leia, but she could almost see it, the big-hearted rock star using his money to quietly support his friends, giving up touring to care for his son while his wife built her career in politics. She could see in his eyes that Kylo had some amount of respect for his father that he didn’t have for his mother, and she wondered why, she wanted desperately to learn more about his life, but he shrugged it off.

“You remind me of him a little, Rey." He smiled at her surprised expression. _Pretend all you like, my love, I know you have the same unflinching compassion._ “He was always pretending to have this big bad exterior, Han Solo the hardcore rocker, living the life… But he really wasn’t like that. He was honest and kind and generous.” _And I killed him… I got behind the wheel of a car I didn’t know… he knew I had more than one drink, but he trusted me..._

Rey blinked, not sure if she should even mention the thoughts she picked up when he was speaking of his father. “Is that what you think of me? I’m just pretending to be fierce on the outside when really I’m hiding this friendly, kind personality inside?” She could see it in his eyes, and she smiled slightly as he tugged her close and kissed her hair.

“Yes. You are friendly, and kind and generous. But you’re not pretending to be fierce.” He laughed softly. “As long as I live, I’ll never forget you standing over me naked, covered in the blood of our enemies and ordering me to let you tend my wounds.” _Too good for me… Just like Han was too good to get roped into the Skywalkers’ drama..._

“Wounds I gave you." She frowned, thinking of Padme and how she spoke of her prideful husband and their children. There was no help for it, she was going to have to find a way to have a serious talk with Leia, and face Kylo’s inevitable wrath.

"You have bad aim, sure. But you fought, and you fought hard. Not just for me - for Nat and Innara and Rose, too.” He was right, there. She had seen Rose’s collar in Bazine’s filthy hands and and heard Hux taunting Kylo and been filled with a rage completely unbefitting an omega.

“Bazine. I thought she’d killed Rose. I hope she burns in hell.” Rey blinked, surprised by the violence in her thoughts, and Kylo reached around her to the door, casting her a proud look.

“We have plenty of cooks and housekeepers in this pack, my omega. But a fierce warrior who can stand at my side and wield a klaive to protect your own?” His eyes glittered eagerly in the growing darkness. “That’s something we definitely need.”

Rey took a deep breath, steeling herself to face Innara when they went back in, but she and Renata were gone, the living room was empty except for Jacen playing the Xbox alone on the couch. He glanced their way and rolled his eyes.

“Too many hormones in this house," he complained. “Are we going to the stupid ball or not, Big Bad?”

"We’ll see.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s your bite that keeps me from getting pregnant,” Innara said. She was softspoken, but there was something ugly in her tone, an accusation that rattled Renata to her core. "If we both have the same bite, my resistance to him won’t be as strong."
> 
> Renata froze. Inhaling deeply, every part of her tensed tighter than a piano wire, she lifted her eyes to take in Innara at her side and Ishida before her.
> 
> “I thought you were incompatible. Wolves and cats have different DNA -”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in a row today because I wanted to show this whole Renata/Innara/Ishida angst was going somewhere and not leave off without including our actual known characters... I apologize in advance for the lack of smut upcoming, I can only promise your patience will be rewarded.

Rose had remained still in shock until the slamming of the door jerked her back to reality, then she eyed Innara with a deep scowl, but it was Finn who spoke first.

“What the hell was  _ that _ about?" He searched between Rose and the dusky-skinned older woman, who ran her fingers through her long hair and shrugged.

“Apparently Rey is quite the jealous person," she glanced towards the door, then noticed Rose and Finn’s combined anger. “I only said I used to hope he would make a bid. Of course, I wouldn’t want him to  _ now _ .”

Rose shook her head slowly. “I saw the way you looked at him. Don’t pretend you weren’t staring. Right in front of Rey, too! You’re older than all of us, you should know better! That’s omega etiquette 101, even I know better than that!”

Ishida stood from where he had been ignoring the entire scene behind his laptop, and she could see his eyes go to Renata over Innara’s head.

“What were you thinking, Innara?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I’d like an explanation, too," Renata said, turning slowly to regard her mate. "But we not having this out in here like a goddamn reality TV show.”

Crossing to the kitchen table, where the pieces of their chess match still stood frozen in unfinished battle, she fumbled with her jacket until she found cigarettes and a lighter, and then stormed towards the front door, commanding Innara to follow her.

Rose waited until they were out of the apartment before she sank down on the couch next to Finn and sighed. Out on the balcony, they could hear Rey and Kylo’s raised voices, and Jacen and Finn glanced over with similar uncomfortable looks.

“Okay, I’m just gonna say it," Rose grumbled at her husband. “Either something weird is going on with them, or Innara’s got some problem with Rey and this is only going to get worse. I’ve seen the aftermath of omegas fighting over a mate, and it is  _ brutal _ .”

“Rey would tear her apart," Finn chuckled, and Rose smacked his arm. Jacen Syndulla raised an eyebrow.

“Are you forgetting Innara killed Mitaka by biting his head off? Literally? Tigers are vicious, guys,” he pointed out.

“I was there," Ishida said softly. “It was… brutal."

Rose and Finn locked eyes, both considering, then Finn shook his head decisively. “Nah, Rey’d still tear her apart."

He and Jacen snickered, but Rose caught the same edge of concern in Ishida’s look that she felt herself. Talking about it hypothetically was one thing, but Rey had come very close to violence before Kylo stepped in, and Innara had seemed unapologetic at antagonizing her.

“It’s not funny! You’re right, but it’s not funny. This can’t happen. Look at us now.” She shook her head at him. "Kylo and Rey are arguing, Renata’s back to smoking and Jace looks like he’s gonna break that controller if he holds it any tighter. This is not healthy pack behavior.”

“Yeah, well, half of us are cats," Jacen smirked. “Wolves are pack animals, you’re not."

" _ Felis domestica _ commonly live in colonies or reside peacefully with other house pets,” she argued, rolling her eyes.

“Okay, sure." He glanced over at Ishida, who was peering down at his laptop screen thoughtfully. “You’ve lived with those gals long enough. What’s your take?”

“My take?" He repeated. He snapped the laptop closed and laid it on the couch where he’d been sitting. “My take is the Omega’s Ball is an antiquated bit of nonsense, regardless of the changes they’ve made this year. But Innara enjoys the attention, so we suffer through it. There are other reasons for which they’ve always attended, but I’m afraid it’s not my place to explain. Hopefully you will all know soon. In the meantime, I beg your patience.”

He turned and strode after the two women, the door closing gently but firmly behind him, and the other three stared at each other in surprise.

“Man, I think that’s the longest I’ve ever heard him talk,” Jacen said after a moment. Even Rose smiled faintly at that joke. “Must be something very weird going on there."

Finn and Rose exchanged a worried glance, but she quieted him with a hand on his arm before he could go after either couple. “Let it be, Finn. You know Rey will tell you everything later.”

“Yeah, she will," he agreed with an easy smile. Rose got to her feet and headed upstairs to get ready for her night shift supervising Organa Tech’s workshop, and Finn followed to chat with her about other things while she changed clothes.

 

For a blessed ten minutes, Jacen Syndulla enjoyed his game in peace and quiet. Rose was even quiet as she left, giving him a little wave as she slipped out the door. Finn remained upstairs and Nat and her mates remained outside. It was another five minutes before Rey and Kylo came in, and even then they spoke only briefly before retreating to the master bedroom.

  
  


"Keep fucking talking, Innara." Renata lit another cigarette, and her mate whined, protesting the scent-dampening behavior.

“You know I’ve always thought he was handsome. I can’t fathom why you’d be so angry.” She leaned against the back wall of their building, scowling as Renata exhaled smoke in the opposite direction. Up until tonight she’d gone four days without, the longest she’d ever managed.  _ Well, fuck that, I guess. _

“Really? You have no idea? Don’t be coy, I’m not interested in playing today.” She rounded on her, slamming both hands on either side of Innara’s head, leveraging herself against her hips and standing on her toes to stare down into her anguished emerald eyes. “You know what you did. I love you, but I hate this game where you pretend innocence, honey. We’re getting too old for it. It’s not cute anymore.”

Her eyes widened as she searched Renata’s face, then dropped away and flooded with tears, a soft sob escaping her chest. “How - how can you be so cruel?! I’m not pretending anything!"

They both turned at the sound of the back door shutting quietly, and Renata stepped back as Ishida came to join them. He, too, seemed none too happy with the weretiger.

“Which one are you trying to seduce, Rey or Kylo?” He spoke mildly, he always did, but his words were cutting.

"There, see? I’m not the only one who noticed." Nat folded her arms, watching Innara crumble under their combined gazes. She sighed, glancing from one to the other before her eyes rested on the sapphire wedding band she twisted nervously on her finger.

“Alright, fine. Since you’re both so determined to bully me… I don’t like living here with them. It’s… Rey and Rose are so young and beautiful and they -” she swallowed, eyes flashing quickly to Renata as she forced out a low whisper. “They have their whole lives to have children still."

“Is  _ that _ why you like the bidding? Because you were hoping we’d find an alpha to -” She didn’t even need to finish the sentence, Innara’s face told her everything. “Honey, I told you. I don’t care, we can adopt -"

“But we can’t adopt a  _ cat _ . It’s so rare, Nat. Do you know there are less than three hundred Bengal tigers in the whole world? Barely enough for a breeding population.” She sniffled softly. "Please, I know you understand what that means! How many indigenous American shifters are there? Do you know?”

“No. Not anymore.” She sighed, glancing over at Ishida’s troubled face.

"But you got to contribute! You gave them permission to donate what they could when you had to have the surgery to take everything out after you were burned -” Nat made a noise to cut her off, but it was too late. Innara shook her head, tears filling her voice. “You could have a child out there, and you don’t even want to know! I don’t understand it!”

Ishida wasn’t stupid, and he knew almost everything about their history. Almost everything. He was looking at Renata with a piercing suspicion in his dark eyes.

“You told me it was elective," he recalled, head tilted slightly as he regarded her.

“Some of it was," she shrugged. “But even if they used my… donations… to help someone else, they’re not  _ my _ kid. I have no right to them.”

"’If,’” He reached out with his palm open, and she handed him a cigarette, surprised when he leaned forward to accept her gesture to light it for him. “You’ve never looked into it."

“No."

For a moment they stood in silence, except for Innara’s quiet sobs. Then he exhaled a puff of smoke and leaned back against the wall, sliding an arm around Innara’s shaking shoulders. “Ah, we’re a lovely mess, aren’t we?"

"Yeah,” Renata laughed. "But I love our mess.”

"Hmm," he considered her, as Innara took her declaration of love to heart and shrugged away from the wall into her alpha’s embrace. Nat held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles over her back. 

“Tell her what you told me, Ishida," Innara demanded suddenly. She half turned in Renata’s arms, reaching out for his hand and looking up at their alpha imploringly.

“Now’s not the time -"

“Yes it is! It’s exactly the time!” She turned to face him fully, and Renata watched as they seemed to be having some wordless conversation. Finally Ishida ducked his head and stepped forward, swallowing thickly before looking down to meet her curious gaze.

“I want your bite, Renata. Don’t tell me it doesn’t mean anything. There are plenty of betas out there with mating bites."

“Why?"

“Why not?" He let her hold his gaze, slowly raising his head until his neck was bared to her, and she could scent fear and desire pulsing around them. Renata closed her eyes.

“I’m not… I can’t…” She swallowed and grit her teeth, knowing they could both scent her response, and her lie. As they had, many times before. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “We’ve been through this -"

"It’s your  _ bite _ that keeps me from getting pregnant,” Innara said. She was softspoken, but there was something ugly in her tone, an accusation that rattled Renata to her core. "If we both have the same bite, my resistance to him won’t be as strong."

Renata froze. Inhaling deeply, every part of her tensed tighter than a piano wire, she lifted her eyes to take in Innara at her side and Ishida before her.

“I thought you were incompatible. Wolves and cats have different DNA -”

“There’s a spell I’ve been looking into." He lifted his neck in submission to her, eyes half closed. “I have an old friend who will be in town for the convention. We’ve been talking over email and he thinks - it’s possible for me to change my totem. Temporarily.”

She looked at Innara, moving away so she could stand face to face with her omega, bracing for her response.

“This is what you want? To have a child with him?" She shook off the bitter taste of fear and rejection, so pungent around them that she wasn’t even sure who felt what. Loss, anguish, betrayal. All of it was like a forest fire to her senses, ashen and choking.

"Renata, no! I love you!  _ We _ love you!” Sorrow filled her voice, and the scent of it was sharp and awful in her in nose as her wife reached for her. She stepped away without looking up, and Innara gasped. “Please, that’s not what I want, I still want to be with you - Please don’t -”

She was sobbing openly now, grabbing at Renata’s arm, her hand, desperate for any touch, but she shut down, holding herself away from the other woman, her own pain locked down tightly in her chest.

“I can’t do it," she refused to look at them, either of them, wincing slightly as Innara turned to be comforted in Ishida’s arms. Renata angrily fisted her own tears from her face and set her chin. “I can’t see my mate raise a child with someone else, and I can’t - I’m a criminal, Innara, remember? I have no place in my life for a kid, now. I love you enough to be honest, so there it is. I’m sorry.”

She took a steadying breath, then beckoned. “Come here, Ishida. I’ll be quick."

"Renata - I didn’t - We don’t want this. Please don’t turn your back on us. Now, of all times -” He tried to catch her eye, but she astutely kept her gaze cold, her shoulders firm. “I never intended to come between you. I love you both!"

"I know.” She closed her eyes. “I know. You’re both sure on this? On having a kid together?"

"I -” she felt Ishida’s sigh in the air.

“Yes," Innara said firmly. “I thought you wanted it, too. I was so happy when Ishi told me about the spell, I wanted to tell you, but -”

"But you didn’t.” She opened her eyes, looking sternly from one to the other. “I can’t be your alpha if you feel the need to keep secrets from me. Life-changing secrets."  

Ishida, at least, had the grace to look guilty. Innara just met her gaze with a kind of baffled, disbelieving expression.

“We always talked about having kids one day," she held her alpha’s eyes pleadingly. "Were you lying when you said you wanted them? Or did you change your mind and decide not to tell me?"  

"I don’t know. I just know… this is how I feel now." She turned away, focusing on Ishida. “We don't have time for anything pleasant, so this is going to hurt. I hope it’s worth it."

"I know,” he grit his teeth, holding himself still, but to his credit, he didn’t scream. Just gripped her wrist - her left wrist - in steel claws, releasing it slowly as she licked the wound clean.

She didn’t speak or turn around for a last look as she trudged to the door, letting the screen snap and clatter behind her, muffling the sounds of Innara’s crushing sobs with her stomping up the stairs.  _ So be it _ , she snarled in her head.  _ I am not meant to have attachments anyway. _

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Christ, Argent. What are you doing?"
> 
> She was too drunk to rage effectively now, which was probably on purpose, Jacen reflected, even in the depths of her personal hell, Renata was trying desperately to limit the fallout.
> 
> “Drinking," she lifted the bottle, chugging another long swallow like it was water, and falling slowly to the floor with her back against the kitchen wall. Kylo paused as he came around the counter, picking his way slowly through shattered ice cubes and frozen foods. Jacen looked Finn over, and the other man gave him a nod to indicate he was fine. Bloodied from scratches and sporting a few bruises, but otherwise nothing terrible. He seemed shocked, mostly, at having been bested by the tiny thunderstorm of an alpha years his elder.

Jacen glanced at the clock when the door opened again. Almost half an hour. He noted with surprise that Renata was alone, and she slammed the door and threw the bolt behind her, leaning against it with a snarl.

“Renata?" He tried gently. Her eyes grazed over him, a wild mix of rage and anguish he was accustomed to seeing from Kylo. In all the years he’d known her, Renata was the strong, silent type of alpha, quick to lend muscle or protect the disadvantaged, but never raging, never the mess of violence and hormones that people expected from the alpha stereotype.

Now, she looked about two seconds from a Kylo Ren-level explosion, and he had no idea what to do about it, except get to his feet slowly and backpedal to put the couch between them.

“Renata?" He asked again, raising his voice in the desperate hope that Finn or Kylo would hear. Thankfully, his tactic worked, at least partly. Finn appeared at the top of the stairs, halting no doubt when he scented the chaos of the other alpha’s scent.

“Shit."

Jacen glanced up, meeting Finn’s wide eyes as Kylo Ren’s lieutenant gave a vicious growl and whirled, sinking brutal claws into the drywall beside the door. She ripped up a good chunk of it before Finn came pounding down the stairs to tackle her, and together they rolled on the floor, teeth and claws flying viciously. Jacen hesitated behind the safety of the couch, unwilling to insert himself in a fight between two alphas, but torn apart at Renata’s visible distress.

“Let go of me!" She screeched, a high tone that shocked both men, and a well-placed elbow sent Finn flying into the wall. Jacen ran to check on him as she stormed into the kitchen, tearing apart the freezer for a bottle of scotch. He had managed to get Finn to his feet when the door to Kylo and Rey’s room flew open, and Kylo rushed out with a frantic growl for Rey to stay put.

“Yeah, that’s right! You tell her… Rey’s a good omega, she knows what she wants…” Kylo narrowed his eyes at Renata over the counter, and Jacen realized she’d swallowed half the goddamn bottle of alcohol in the ten seconds it had taken him to help Finn and for Kylo to come running.

“Christ, Argent. What are you doing?"

She was too drunk to rage effectively now, which was probably on purpose, Jacen reflected, even in the depths of her personal hell, Renata was trying desperately to limit the fallout.

“Drinking," she lifted the bottle, chugging another long swallow like it was water, and falling slowly to the floor with her back against the kitchen wall. Kylo paused as he came around the counter, picking his way slowly through shattered ice cubes and frozen foods. Jacen looked Finn over, and the other man gave him a nod to indicate he was fine. Bloodied from scratches and sporting a few bruises, but otherwise nothing terrible. He seemed shocked, mostly, at having been bested by the tiny thunderstorm of an alpha years his elder.

Together they came across the room, standing at the low kitchen bar, where Kylo squatted a respectful distance from Renata, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

“What happened, Renata? I’ve never seen you like this."

"No. Nobody has.” She shook her head. "I don’t do this. I should’ve known better. Should’ve repudiated her when I went to jail. Guess I’m just… selfish.” She peered around at them all, gathering her knees to her chest in a very defensive, broken, unalpha-like gesture. “Basic training. They say it never leaves you. No family. No friends. No romance.” She swallowed more scotch before Kylo finally managed to wrench the last quarter of the bottle away from her limp grip. “No attachments. No passengers."

"What’s she talking about?” Finn whispered. Jacen gave him a sad look.

“Super ops. Hunters."

"Renata was a Hunter?” Shifters in the military were already an elite force, divided under the Marines and the Air Force, utilised in special squads that made the best use of their particular abilities. Hunters were an even more specialized group. Technically, they were their own force, drawn from all branches of the service and trained to do one thing - stalk and kill. Alone. No reinforcements, no command, no backup. They were dangerous, deadly, and very few made it to muster out.

“For two years. Until the Indigenous Species Protection Act, when they forced her out because of her Indian blood. Too much risk.” He frowned, shaking his head at the alpha who was now sobbing brokenly on Kylo’s shoulder, in between bits of random Johnny Cash lyrics sung in a low purr. “You’re not supposed to survive the Hunters, so any connections - family, love life, whatever - is strictly forbidden. They don’t want anything that might give you a sudden sense of empathy for another person. That’s why ‘no passengers.’ We were assassins, not kidnappers, not soldiers, not people. Just Hunters.”

“‘We?’" Finn raised an eyebrow and the other man shrugged.

“I met Renata through Ahsoka. Retired Hunters are pretty rare. We keep in contact.” He grimaced, watching Renata clutch their leaders arms in sharp claws. Kylo only grunted, ignoring the peppering of puncture wounds on his body. “It’s not easy to readjust when you get out. But me and Ahsoka are betas. The need to mate isn’t a critical part of our biology.”

His lips pressed together as he met Finn’s gaze. “They never should have accepted alphas or omegas, if you ask me. But the government can’t discriminate over designation anymore, thanks to Senator Organa.”

“But they can over species and tribe? That’s bullshit." He looked up as Kylo came out of the kitchen, Renata’s small, sturdy body eclipsed in his arms. They both watched him settle his lieutenant on the couch, even pulling a folded blanket over her shuddering shoulders.

“So what happened?" Finn asked as Kylo came back to settle at the dining room table with the rest of the scotch bottle in his hand.

“Innara and Ishida want to have a kid, apparently," he sighed heavily. “Renata thinks it’s better if they… separate.”

“ _ What? _ " Finn nearly spat. Jacen just eyed Kylo, his own emotions reserved beneath his careful facade of indifference. “But they’re… Innara’s her  _ mate _ .”

“And her wife," he said in a low voice. “And it’s not any of our business. At least not right now." He raised his eyes, making the words an order to include them both. “And if Ishida or Innara comes knocking on the door, tell them to fuck off.”

He polished off the scotch, slamming the empty bottle down on the table, and climbed to his feet. “I’m going back to bed. Jace. Keep an eye on her, please?"

"Yeah, sure.”

“Wait! Why wouldn’t we let them in? We’re all part of the same pack -" Kylo shut Finn out with a shake of his head and a dark stare that would have frightened the devil himself.

“I’m the leader. I decide who’s pack." He tilted his head slightly at Finn. "What would you do, if that was  _ your _ best friend?"

It went unspoken, but they all knew who Finn’s best friend was, and the lengths he would go to on her behalf. Including barring the door against Kylo himself. He gave a little nod of acknowledgment.

Kylo nodded in return, both alphas retreating to their own space, leaving Jacen alone to watch over the half-asleep, drunkenly sobbing woman on the couch. He decided it was best not to touch her, but he needed to know if she tried to get up, so he settled himself on the floor, leaning against the couch by her head, and picked up his PlayStation controller, setting the volume on mute and preparing himself for a long night. So much for his thirty minutes of peace and quiet.

  
  


“So are we going to the convention or not?" Finn asked the next morning as they shopped for groceries. It was the first time they’d had to really be alone in each other’s company since everything happened, and Rey was overwhelmed by relief to find their natural camaraderie still alive. “I mean, after last night..."

“I don’t know. Probably, but I can’t imagine Renata going." She lifted a bunch of bananas and started to put them in a produce bag, only to have him deftly pluck them from her hands. “Oh, come on, those are the greenest I could find!"

"Newsflash, Rey, we have eight people to feed! We don’t have to worry about things going bad anymore,” he explained, handing her a riper selection. "Jace will just make muffins or something if they get spots.”

“Right. We’re down to six now though.” She reminded him, nose scrunched in distaste. “Is it me, or is this whole pack thing weird still? I feel like my parents are fighting and I don’t know which side to pick, because my heart brakes for all of them.”

“Neither of us had parents, Rey." He glanced at her meaningfully and she rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean! I love Renata and I’m sorry she’s hurting, but I -”

"You think it’s wrong to shut out the others without hearing their side.” He frowned. "I know. Rose and I were talking about it last night.

"Rose doesn’t even like Innara."

Finn blinked at her in surprise, and Rey chewed her lip. Truthfully, she had no legitimate reason to know that, but she caught snippets of the other woman’s thoughts when they talked briefly before Finn and Rey left to go shopping.

She frowned down at the written list in her hand, half in Finn’s neat print and half Jacen’s looping scrawl. At the very bottom, someone had written “coffee - the good kind” and circled it boldly.

“No, she doesn’t.” He grimaced, and Rey focused on the task at hand to keep herself from prying into his thoughts. “It’s like being back in my last foster family, only I’m the adult now. Everything is so complicated.” He shrugged. "I kinda like it, though."

“You do?” She paused from eyeing the coffee and tea selection to give her friend a startled look. He grinned.

“Well, yeah. I finally got Rose to move in with me. And we get to use all of Kylo and Jacen’s sweet electronics. Overwatch is a lot more fun when you’re playing on a team with three other people who actually know how to work together.” He tossed a couple containers of powdered creamer into the cart, smirking at Rey’s grimace of disgust. “Hey, don’t blame me for offending your delicate British sensibilities. It’s not my fault Rose likes powdered fake cream. Take it up with your bosses. That’s all they have at the shop.”

“It’s not my fault Kylo likes shit coffee, either,” she complained, adding a large tub of the cheap stuff to the cart along with a few boxes of Earl Grey tea. “Not that I know what ‘good coffee’ is supposed to be."

Finn joined her in looking over the selection of whole bean coffees in increasingly pretentious packaging. "Starbuck’s?" She suggested.

“No, we tried that last time. Let’s just get a couple different bags to show we tried.” He selected some of the more pricey bags and added them. “If Renata wants to be prissy about her fancy fucking sludge, she can go get it herself. I’m not making an extra trip to Whole Paycheck just for cruelty-free hot bean juice.”

“Maybe we should. She deserves to be spoiled a little right now. Jacen put cashew milk and raw honey on the list, anyway." She pursed her lips at the paper. "What the hell is ground cauliflower for?”

“Ugh, I don’t know, but I’m not eating another lactose-free pizza." He took over the list, leaving Rey to follow him with the shopping basket. "Come on, let’s go pick out some decent meat. I don’t know how a werewolf can stand to be vegetarian, but cats are obligate carnivores.”

“I’m pretty sure Kylo is an obligate carnivore himself,” she agreed. “I’ll eat whatever I don’t have to cook, but I really wish Jace would stick to breakfast and let you do the evening meals.”

“Roasted brussel sprouts not your thing, princess?” He chuckled at her expression as they approached the meat counter and he turned to signal the clerk. “Hey, how you doing today?"

Finn was so accustomed to friendly small talk, working as a bartender, he didn’t catch the mildly hostile ‘fine’ from the man behind the counter, but Rey took a step back when the older, greasy-haired alpha leaned forward over the display case to scowl at her.

“You shop with your omega?” He sneered. His words were directed at Finn, but his watery blue eyes stayed on Rey. “You must be a shitty mate if you can’t even pick out a roast by yourself.”

She saw the moment Finn’s shoulders tensed and he lifted his eyes slowly to take another look at the sneering clerk, but it was Rey who answered, voice colder than the meat freezer in front of them.

“I want to speak with your manager. Now." The son of a bitch had to turn to Finn, seeming surprised to find a nearly-identical scowl on the werepanther’s normally friendly face.

“What are you looking at me for?” He growled, stepping back and nodding to Rey. “You heard her."

"I won’t ask again,” she said coldly.

 

Of course, the manager was apologetic, she even offered to give them whatever they wanted from the meat department free of charge, and rang up all their groceries herself before applying every discount she could think of, but Rey still left in a foul mood. As soon as they were in the car and Finn was driving, she had her phone out, Googling clinics to get back on a steady regimen of suppressants and hormone regulators. She had the Kenobi money now, she could afford the nicer places, and she decided to allow herself this one indulgence.

Finn didn’t speak while she was on the phone, setting up her appointment for the following morning to meet with a clinician for a new patient workup. They stopped briefly at the organic grocery store at Rey’s insistence, but Finn elected to keep the car running while she went inside to grab a few bags of premium coffee and Jacen’s cashew milk and honey. He remained silent until almost the very end of their drive.

“I’m sorry, Rey."

"What? You’re sorry I’m an omega? Gee, thanks Finn, I appreciate the sympathy -”

“No! Rey, no, that’s not what I meant and you know it! That guy was way out of line, I’m sorry I didn’t back you up sooner, I was so angry I just froze.” He shook his head. "You handled it perfectly though. Rose would be proud. I just wish I could have done more.”

“Ah." She stared hard at the number on their parking space as Finn pulled his little SUV into place. “Can I ask you a question? Finn?"

"Sure.” He was regarding her with warmth in his eyes when she glanced over, and Rey smiled in relief to find her friend still acting like… Well, like her friend.

“Does that… happen a lot? I know Rose doesn’t believe in suppressants, but I just… I don’t think I could handle it, facing that kind of asshole all the time.” She gave a slightly nervous laugh. "I’ll be joining Kylo and Renata with criminal charges before long."

"Rey, you’d be locked up for like a second before we bailed you out. They don’t put omegas in with the general population anyway, although in your case it’d be for  _ their _ safety more than yours.” Rey’s lips twitched at the joke, but she kept her eyes on him, waiting for a real answer. Finn sighed. "Look, just because Rose is comfortable going without suppressants and stuff doesn’t mean you have to be, too. That’s your decision, Rey, it’s not any of my business. It’s not Rose’s business either. Not even Kylo’s, honestly. You just do you, alright?”

"It’s just… Before I had my first heat, everyone treated me like just another beta and I guess I just went with it because it was easier…” She frowned. “I mean, Leia knew, obviously, and Dr. Holdo, and you and Rose, of course, but…”

“You didn’t smell like an omega. Rey, I’m sorry to break it to you, but… What you were doing, pretending to be a different designation because it was easier and you didn’t want to face the discrimination? That’s… not a good thing.” He fidgeted uncomfortably, checking to make sure all the windows were rolled up and fiddling with the cheap air freshener hanging from the rearview. “Your body is your decision, I said I wouldn’t judge you, but… You accepted that internship as an omega. You work for a company that promotes equal rights as one of its founding principles. Did it ever occur to you that people are going to expect you to be… open about your identity? Or at least not  _ ashamed _ of it?”

“I’m not ashamed, I just don’t want it to be the first thing people notice -”

"Rey, look at me. You know what the first thing people see about me is?” With their easy friendship, Rey had almost forgotten that Finn was an alpha, that he could look into her eyes with the same searing gaze she usually got from Kylo, his pupils narrowed in feline slits. “Before I’m a shapeshifter, or an alpha, I’m judged for something I’ve  _ never _ had the luxury of hiding.”

“Oh." He’d never tried to stare her down before, but it seemed she’d stumbled into one thing Finn was willing to challenge her on, and it was worse than she could have imagined, because he was  _ right _ . Rey directed her gaze downward, away from his hard expression, not realizing the significance of her action until Finn took a shallow breath. “Sorry, of course you’re right. I’ve never thought of it that way…”

“I didn’t think you’d back down like that," he said in a warmer tone. "I just wanted to make a point. You’re going to meet other omegas at this convention, and Leia Organa will expect you to set a good example. To be someone they can look up to, to prove that you can have the great internship and go to school and have the career you want in spite of your designation.”

"Right.” She sat still, mulling over the whole afternoon with a semi-vacant stare until Finn got out and opened up the back to start unloading groceries.

“Hey, you gonna help me with these, or are you just gonna sit there having an existential crisis all morning?”

“No, I’m coming.” She tried to shake herself out of the strange mood that had come over her, but Finn was too good of a friend not to notice her unusual silence as they were carrying in their bags and putting away groceries.

“Rey. Don’t think about it too much, okay? Just… Come to the Omega’s Ball and you’ll see. There are all kinds of people, not every omega is a housewife and not every alpha is a muscle-brained meathead.”

“I know that. I’ve met Renata, you know,” she rolled her eyes.

“Wait -” He called after as she turned to retreat into her bedroom to see if Kylo was awake yet. “Did you just imply me and Kylo  _ are _ muscle-brained meatheads?"

"You said it, not me.” But she gave a small chuckle at his fake-offended face, and he grinned with the accomplishment of making her laugh.

She found Kylo still asleep, massive frame sprawled across the entire bed in her absence, and she sighed, kicking off her shoes and pants and climbing into bed with him. He moved around her instinctively, murmuring her name as he half woke, and she snuggled into him, her head on his shoulder and one leg thrown over him possessively.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry," her voice was significantly gentler than Rey had ever heard her address Poe Dameron. She looked around the room, eyes catching on Kylo for a hesitant second before she occupied herself with the demandingly miserable alpha in her arms. “Come home with me, okay? I have a nice spare bedroom, you can take a bath and change clothes.”
> 
> "Amilyn. I shouldn’t have called you, I just… you were the only person I could think of, I don’t want to burden you -" Fresh tears filled her eyes, and Rey and the others looked away as Dr. Holdo gently tried to turn Renata towards the door. “I...I’m a colossal fuckup, you know?"

She awoke to the feeling of warm hands combing through her hair, and opened her eyes to watch the rise and fall of Kylo’s bare chest beneath her cheek.

“Hey." His voice was low from just waking, and the resonance she felt through his body made her squeeze up against him more firmly.

“Good morning, meathead." His hand stopped in her hair and she grinned, pushing herself up to meet his eyes.

“What did you just call me?" 

"Finn came up with it. He was telling me not  _ all _ alphas are muscle-brained meatheads.” She watched the thoughts flicker through his sleepy eyes, slightly alarmed as his expression narrowed.

“Oh, but I am?" A feral smile turned the corners of his mouth, the only warning she got before he gripped her waist and flipped their positions. He took her hand and pressed it to his chest, slowly dragging her fingertips over all the hard planes and ridges of his body, down his stomach muscles and lower without breaking eye contact. Rey’s eyes widened as he continued, finally stopping just beneath the waistband of his boxers, where he dragged her fingertips over his half-roused cock. “Is this all you see? All this rugged alpha body for you to fuck?"

“Maybe.” She closed her eyes to avoid his gaze and gave his manhood a teasing squeeze before drawing her hand out of his grasp. "You’re hearing my thoughts, aren’t you?"

“You woke me up when you came back to bed,” he kissed her, warmly, but without the demanding urgency that called for something more. “Then you fell asleep, and I saw a few glimpses from your dreams spilling over.”

"Shit." She dropped back onto his chest, and his arms came up to hold her close. She loved him for what was inside his head just as much as she loved his body, but there was a sanctity in those strong, heavy arms she’d never felt anywhere else. “What am I going to do about that?"

“You need a teacher." He frowned down at her. “I’m not wild-born, but I can show you how to focus your mind."

Rey bit her lip, nodding and hoping he could help her learn enough before they were surrounded by other shifters at this crazy convention. 

“He’s right, by the way." His expression softened somewhat, and he kissed her again. "You need to be yourself, Rey. You can’t change your biology. None of us can. All you can do is accept it and learn to make it yours.”

"Not according to Luke Skywalker." It was out of her mouth before she even realized what she’d said, and Rey gasped in surprise as Kylo rolled them over so she was pinned beneath him, teeth bared in a ferocious snarl.

“Don’t say his name!” Rey flinched at the sudden venom in his voice. “Is that what you want? You want to be free of your powers, free of our mating? Just go be a ‘pure’ human instead of a vicious monster?” She whimpered, soft, but insistent, and shoved her forehead against his, eyes wide and aggressive against his alpha stare. 

“No," she growled emphatically. “You know that, Kylo. I want it, I want you and my wolf form and our pack and… all of it. I want it.” She breathed in relief as he released her, dropping onto his side to watch her talk. “This omega stuff is new to me, and I don’t like new things. I’m trying, okay? I just… You and Finn and Rose, you knew what you were your whole lives." She swallowed, not wanting to wallow in self-pity. "You had parents and Finn had social workers and there’s mandatory education in California… All I had was one week of health class and that fucking slimebag Plutt. I never had anyone… to show me my place in all this.”

"I can -”

"No, Kylo. I love you, I’m glad you want to help, but I need to figure this out on my own. You’re not my parent, and it’s a little late for the sex talk now.” She smiled gently at his wounded look. "Besides, you can’t be objective when you have a vested interest."

She kissed him once more, before firmly pushing him out of her way and sitting up to find her pants. “Come on, we bought coffee and cinnamon rolls." 

"Is Renata up yet?” Kylo called after her as he picked up his phone from the bedside table to check the time, ignoring three missed calls and two texts from Ishida.  _ You wanna have a kid, figure your shit out like a fucking adult. _ He glared at the screen, forcing himself to breathe and put the phone down before he accidentially crushed the third device this year, although he was sure the Verizon store appreciated his business. 

“I didn’t see her. I think Jacen carried her upstairs to use his bed last night. I heard them talking when I got up to get some water.” Kylo had explained some of what happened in his usual, brusque manner, and Finn had tried as well, but he knew they were omitting details Rey would consider crucial. He couldn’t help it, even with Rey, talking about Renata’s personal relationships left a distaste on his tongue, and he couldn’t bring himself to feel the sympathy for Ishida and Innara that he knew he should. 

“Good. I’m sure she appreciates not having to go into their room right now." He looked up as Rey came back in the room, teeth brushed and hair pulled back into her series of buns. She was wearing a Harry Potter T-shirt with a pair of jeans and his dark blue flannel shirt over it like a jacket, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her in his clothes. She caught him eyeing her and raised an eyebrow. 

“Do you mind? It’s cold in here and you left it on the doorknob, so I -" She clutched his shirt more closely, and Kylo was half-tempted to drag her into bed, rip off every piece of clothing that  _ wasn’t _ his and fuck her in nothing but his flannel. Rey giggled suddenly, giving him a suggestive smile. “Let’s come back to that idea another time, hmm? Besides, you’ll ruin my favorite shirt.”

“Mmm. I’ll buy you another. Not Hufflepuff, though." 

"What have you got against Hufflepuffs?” She crowed in outrage, smacking his shoulder. "They’re loyal and brave -" 

“Oh, please. Everyone knows they’re the Hogwarts version of remedial studies." He pulled a clean shirt from the closet and buttoned it hastily as Rey snorted and turned her back on him as she walked out of the room. “Loyal and brave and dumb." 

"Says the Slytherin,” she shot back as they walked into the kitchen together, Rey slightly ahead of him. She hesitated when she saw his lieutenant, face haggard and drawn, sitting at the table with her whole body folded around the warmth of an oversize mug of coffee.

“Who says I’m a Slyther-" 

"Everyone,” Renata sad firmly before Rey could open her mouth. She held up a hand, and Kylo sputtered. “Sorry, to break it to you, Solo, but I’m sure an ego your size can take the hit." She winked at Rey and gave a brave attempt at a smile, gesturing to the coffee. “Finn said you insisted on going to Whole Foods to look for something decent. You have no idea how much I needed a good cup of coffee today.” 

Rey returned the smile, but he noticed Renata was extra careful not to make direct eye contact. Jacen was sitting at the table across from her, in his usual half-sprawl, intently focused on the screen of his tablet, holding his silence on their arguement, though he rolled his amber eyes at them all. 

“You’re welcome, Renata" She took a deep breath, and Kylo did too, scenting something citrus-y in the strong, bitter smell of the coffee. “Is that the tangerine blend? It smells more like oranges."

“I think I like it,” the other woman said, taking an appreciative sip. "It’s definitely my favorite so far."

“Good! We’ll keep it on the list!” Rey practically beamed, and it seemed for a moment even Renata was warmed by her smile. Kylo slipped his arm over her shoulder as he scouted for the promised box of cinnamon rolls.

“I was told there was food. You mangy beasts better have left me something.”

"On the stove, Lord Voldemort,” Jacen tilted his head without looking up as Kylo grumbled about the mutinous opinions of the pack he was supposed to be leading. "Thanks for getting my stuff, too." He winked at Rey. “I know Finn wouldn’t have made the extra stop.”

“Good thing I went with him, then. Someone has to keep you kids in line.” Rey settled at the table next to Renata, watching Kylo eat two of the massive bakery rolls seemingly without chewing. He licked his fingers, catching her stare and widening his eyes.

“If I’m Voldemort, what does that make you? Bellatrix -whatever-her-name-is?" He smirked as all three of them made faces of disgust, Rey primary among them.

“That’s disgusting," Renata said distastefully, while Jacen just gave a general groan of disgust. Rey shook her head. 

“Ohhhkay, I vote we table this analogy before it gets any more painful," she insisted, receiving nods from his knights. Kylo helped himself to a third pastry, realizing that left only one in the box, and frowned, trying to decide if everyone had had their fill yet. Renata never ate breakfast on a good day, and Jacen ate just as voraciously as him, so theoretically that meant neither of them would be having more…

He turned his head to see Rey eyeing him sternly. “Do you even taste anything before you drop it into that bottomless pit you call a stomach? Bring me the last one. Please?” He handed it over readily, all thoughts of claiming it for himself banished when his mate indicated her interest. 

She was hardly any better than him, though she took smaller bites, she was licking her fingers clean by the time he claimed the fourth chair at the table. Jacen heaved a sigh at the faint chirp of his phone and barely glanced at it before shoving it back in his pocket, but Kylo caught the image of Ishida’s wolf form on the picture. He traded looks with the other man, before sighing and turning his attention to Renata.

“My phone is blowing up, country girl. What do you want to do about it?" He tried to keep his voice low and casual, but he did not miss Renata’s quick glance to Rey before she returned to studying her coffee mug.

“I don’t know. What the fuck am I supposed to do?" If he thought maybe another woman would ease her mood, it seemed Rey’s designation was having the opposite effect. “You lost your goddamn mind when your mate ran off, I think I’m handling myself pretty well in comparison. There’s no playbook for female alphas, we can’t go off the rails and expect sympathy.”

Rey noticed her phone buzzing in her pocket, and stealthily slipped it out to read the contact before silencing it and shoving it back in. Renata’s sharp eyes followed her movements like a falcon sighting prey.

“Ishida or Innara?" Her voice had an edge of gravel to it, the question making Kylo and Jacen freeze. Rey tried to shrug it off as if she hadn’t clearly seen Innara’s cell number. Clearly, whatever Renata had to say, she wasn’t interested in saying it around Rey, and it seemed as if her very presence was rubbing the other woman the wrong way, despite her laborious attempts to be friendly.

“I don’t know who it was, I’ll check it later," she said with a shrug. "Probably Leia or Snap calling to see why I haven’t logged in yet. Which I should go do.”

She got up from her seat and retreated back into their bedroom, closing the door and opening her laptop at the tiny corner desk where she did most of her remote work. She had just started answering the multiple help requests lurking in the queue since the last half hour of Jessika’s shift when her phone buzzed again, and she pulled it from her pocket to sit on the table. It wasn’t a number she recognized, but she had a feeling she knew who was behind it.

Rey sighed. It was going to be a long day. Even longer when she had to convince those stubborn assholes out there to stop coddling their fucking  _ alpha _ best friend, and maybe encourage her to face her relationship problems like and adult. She glanced at her phone again. It wasn’t her business. It  _ wasn’t _ . Kylo would be furious if he knew…

Hastily, she brought up her work email and typed out a quick note. Maybe she wouldn’t see it. Maybe there would be no response. Either way, it was a safer outreach than text messaging.

She wasn’t expecting such a quick response, nor was she expecting all of the exclaimation points and capital letters. Rey sat back and reread. And reread again. Then she picked up her phone and texted Rose, who she knew was sleeping off her night shift upstairs, but it didn’t take long for her to respond anyway.

_ Can I email you something in strict confidence? _

_ Strict. Confidence. You CANNOT tell Finn. _

_ Innara? _

_ Yeah. _

_ Send it to my work email. _

So she did, and a few minutes later, right in the middle of a long string of Poe Dameron’s lazy code, Rose emailed her back. Rey leaned her elbows on the desk and rubbed at her temples. As if today wasn’t going to be long enough dealing with just work. Slowly, she got to her feet and went to the door of her room, spying Kylo and Renata still sitting at the kitchen table. She counted to ten, giving Rose time to come down the stairs, and waited while she unleashed her short, sleep-deprivation-fueled temper.

“Look. No one’s asking you to see them or talk to them or interact with them in any way right now, but you do not have the right -” Rose hissed at Kylo as he stood up, and Rey edged out of the bedroom to stand in the hallway where he could clearly see her, crossing her arms to indicate just how done she was with this whole thing. “-No, Kylo, sit the fuck down, this has nothing to do with you!" 

Renata sat still, almost in shock at the tempest of Rose’s anger, although Rey couldn’t see her face entirely, only Kylo’s. He looked furious, but Rey met that look with equal force, and he kept himself under control while Rose said what she needed to say.

“You do not have the right to hold their things - to hold Innara’s  _ medicine _ \- hostage. You can leave, you can hide in Kylo’s room or our room or go onto the fucking balcony if you want,” Rose fumed. "But you don’t get to bar them from their medicine and the tools they need to work - or their clothes or anything, really - just because you don’t want to  _ talk _ . I get that you’re hurting -”

“Do you?" Renata said softly, interrupting her finally. Her shoulders slumped down suddenly and she shook her head, and Rey could see a flare of compassion soften Rose’s angry glare. “Because I don’t," she went on, and now Rey could see not just compassion but actual concern in the eyes of both Rose and Kylo. “I’ve been shot, and set on fire, and hit with a roadside bomb that broke my brain so much that I  _ literally cannot feel anything but extremem pain _ . But emotional pain? I don’t know how to cope. I don’t know how to  _ hurt _ . But I am hurting and I… How long is this going to go on? Because I don’t think I can stand…” Suddenly her voice broke and she collapsed forward like a snapped wire, covering her head with her hands and sobbing into the dark wood of the table. "I... can't... I just _fucking can't!_ "

Kylo looked stunned. Even Rose didn’t seem to know what to do. Rey took a breath, realizing this was where she had to step in. No one else was going to do it. Cautiously, she crouched beside the older woman’s chair, not touching her, just getting close enough that she could speak softly and be heard through Renata’s sobs.

“Is there somewhere you can go, Nat? Even a hotel for a while? We can let them in and get your room cleaned out and you can just… Take a break. Get drunk if you want. I think Jace has some edibles in the freezer. Just…” She waited as Renata gulped back her sobs, turning to look vaguely in Rey’s direction.

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds..." She swallowed again, scrubbing her sleeve over her face. “I don’t have any family, here or anywhere else, but maybe… Do you know Amilyn Holdo?”

“Dr. Holdo?" Rose sounded uncertain, and Renata gave a choked laugh. “Oh, right, it's  _doctor_ now.  How could I forget? She was a captain when I met her.”

“Is she a friend of yours?" Rey noticed Rose take her phone out and scroll quickly through the contacts.

“She’s… Yeah, you could say that. We were always on friendly terms. Innara didn’t like it so…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe she won’t want anything to do with me. But the only family I have is in Oklahoma and I promised myself I’d never go back there, so…”

Rose was already dialing, and they all held their breath as the other end picked up.

“Dr. Holdo? I… Yeah, Rose Tico from engineering. I’m really sorry, this is so personal, but my friend needs help and you’re the only person she could think of -” Her eyes went suddenly to Renata with a slight frown. “Um, it is, actually. Okay, I’ll just… I’ll text it to you… Thank you, Dr-”

“She said she’d come," Renata whispered. Rose paused, concentrating on her text, before she looked back up.

“She knew without me telling her your name. I just said a friend -" 

Renata didn’t seem surprised, she just closed her eyes and laid her head on the table. “Please don’t hate me for this. I know what it looks like.”

“What?" Kylo leaned his head down, like he could somehow catch her gaze by ducking his head under the table. “I know Amilyn Holdo works for my mom. I don’t care.”

But Renata shook her head until it bobbed heavily against the table and Kylo had to reach out reflexively with his hands to cushion the fall of her skull against the table. Rose was distracted by the bizarre scene, but Rey knew enough about Dr. Holdo to understand.

“No. Dr. Holdo’s an omega," she blurted out before she thought of keeping it to herself. But it didn’t matter, Kylo and Rose would scent it on her immediately. “And she’s… She’s a cat. Some kind of small breed like a… like a lynx.”

“A serval," Renata corrected. She lifted her head, grimacing as if bracing herself against their disapproval. “We met in Afghanistan." 

"Oh.” Rose said dumbly. "Huh.” She sat on the arm of the couch, leaving Renata to face Kylo and Rey. She could hear Kylo’s thoughts swirling, and decided to cut him off before he said something he’d regret later.

“There’s no playbook for female alphas," she repeated Renata’s words from earlier. "If you trust her to help you then… That’s your business.”

“Renata," Kylo started again. “Are you sure you don’t want to… Give it some time?”

“No. Innara was always open about the future she wanted. I’m the one who changed. Giving it time isn’t going to fix anything." She got up, just as a firm knock sounded on their door. Rose answered it, but Renata wasn’t far behind her. She halted, fingers digging into the nearby couch as Rose ushered another woman into the room, and Rey blinked in surprise as the normally stoic Dr. Holdo went immediately to take Renata’s hand and pull her in for a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry," her voice was significantly gentler than Rey had ever heard her address Poe Dameron. She looked around the room, eyes catching on Kylo for a hesitant second before she occupied herself with the demandingly miserable alpha in her arms. “Come home with me, okay? I have a nice spare bedroom, you can take a bath and change clothes.” 

"Amilyn. I shouldn’t have called you, I just… you were the only person I could think of, I don’t want to burden you -" Fresh tears filled her eyes, and Rey and the others looked away as Dr. Holdo gently tried to turn Renata towards the door. “I...I’m a colossal fuckup, you know?" 

Holdo laughed, releasing her to arm’s length and shaking her head. “I know. I know you think that, but you’re not." 

"Nah, I sure as hell fucking am. I failed my mate and she’s gonna have a kid with someone else because I don’t want to and…” she dropped her head back against the purple-haired woman’s shoulder, clinging to her with the fierced grip of anguish, as if she were drowning and desperate for anything to keep her afloat. “I never should have bitten her, you were so right, I’m sorry-”

“Shh. Shh, Renata, just come with me, okay?" Slowly, she gathered herself enough to nod and let the doctor guide her away with a firm grip on her hand. Just before the door closed behind them, Kylo jumped into motion, leaping the couch to catch Amilyn’s wrist on the knob.

“Wait, Wait! She needs her - breathing thing -" He gestured to the bedroom. The woman’s brilliant blue eyes had hardened at the touch of his hand, but they softened as he quickly removed it, backing towards the door to Renata’s bedroom. “Just wait a second, okay? Do you need anything else? Renata?”

“I’m alright, Kylo. Everything else smells like -" 

"I know, but I’m sure Dr. Holdo doesn’t want you to die because you forgot to breathe in your sleep.” He was quick, coming back out with a square black bag that he handed over quickly. “I found your spare mask, too, I thought it might help. Does she know about -" He swallowed, struggling over the wording, and the older woman shook her head, violet tresses bobbing around her face.

“Do I know she’s numb as a wood post?” She laughed. “I was the medical director of the VA voc rehab in Sacramento before I moved here to work for Leia. I’ve seen her file. It’s alright, alpha. I’ll take care of her, I promise. Thank you for getting the CPAP.”

“Kylo,” Rey said softly, coming to take his hand. “You can trust Dr. Holdo, believe me.”

They all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when the door shut, Rey firmly putting herself between Kylo and the exit in case he felt the need to follow them to the car. She could see the turmoil in his eyes, he had so few actual friends and he’d looked up to Renata, she was eight years his senior and seemed to be made of steel. Seeing her break down hurt him, and sympathy was something Kylo Ren was unaccustomed to.

When the sound of an engine starting and fading away down the street finally came, he seemed to relax, and Rey couldn’t help staring in disbelief as she locked the door and came back to where he stood.

“What?" 

She shook her head, but couldn’t quite hide a small smile. “So you’re not a Slytherin after all.”

Rose rolled her eyes, heading towards the stairs. “Of course he’s not. He’s Han Solo and Senator Organa’s kid. Gryffindor on both sides.”

“That’s not even how it works!" Rey shouted, as Kylo grumbled about his parents having nothing to do with how he turned out. She pushed past him, going back to their bedroom as he followed her and did his best to convince her to take an early lunch break.

“I’d love to, sure, but until Poe stops being a lazy idiot and Jess stops spending her last thirty minutes logged in to post stupid Facebook memes, someone has to actually  _ work _ .” He sat on the bed, dragging his puppy-dog eyes over her while Rey did her damnedest to ignore him. “Go call Ishida and tell him to come get his shit. You’re the pack leader, that falls solely under your responsibility. And when they’re done, you and Jace can work on getting the furniture out and cleaning everything.”

Kylo groaned, the way he did when he knew she was right but really wished she wasn’t, and she spared him a quick grin. “Go on, the more work I get done, the faster I can log off."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was so exhausted, it took her a minute to realise someone was speaking to her. Someone who had, in fact, helped themselves to the chair across from her.
> 
> “Sorry, what?”
> 
> “Oh yeah, you’re her. The accent’s right and everything.” The strange man was doing that particularly douchebag alpha thing of sitting backwards in the chair, arms wrapped around the back to display his mediocre gym commitment, and Rey’s hackles went up immediately. “Oh, don’t be like that. No one here could afford that price. I just wanted to get a closer look. And smell.”

It was five minutes until the end of her shift when Rey saw the new mail alert pop up on her task bar. Rolling her eyes, because she had spent all day fighting with the web developers over the definition of a secure server, she clicked on it, expecting another snarky analogy from Snap.

What she found instead compelled her to a shocked scream, hastily silenced by her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Of course, the sender was a throwaway account from a throwaway mail server, but the link was a legitimate dotcom. One of those nauseatingly chauvinistic sites that ranked nude scenes in movies and television, and compiled lists of the most fuckable celebrities by designation. The most recent post was about the upcoming Omega’s Ball, and it listed projected rates for the top one-hundred omegas rumored to be inattendance.

Idioti nonsense like these sites were exactly why Rey had shied away from being open about her designation, why it still made her uncomfortable when anyone but Kylo referenced it, and why she was grateful to finally be able to afford the high-end chemical suppressants. But even if she had no intention of participating, and she had made that intention crystal clear to Kylo and Finn’s employer… Seeing her name, with a mind-boggling price next to it… at the top of the list…

Abruptly, she slammed her laptop closed, unplugged it and shoved it in her bag with the rest of her panoply of devices regularly carted between work and home, and gathered her sweater. She stood up, glancing around to see if anyone else in her four-person cubicle hub was there, and finding it empty, she started for the elevator. It might not be quite six o’clock yet, but Rey was in no state of mind to work anyway, and really, Leia was not the kind of boss to care about her leaving two minutes early.

She was so distracted, she nearly ran into Rose as the elevator opened, exclaiming in surprise at seeing her up on the IT floor.

“Oh! I was just coming to see you,” she said, gesturing to the bag in her hand. Rey recognized Renata’s magical bag of tricks, and assumed Rose had brought it to work to give to Dr. Holdo. But she frowned as she stepped back, eyes widening as she took an involuntary breath.

“Rose, what are you doing?” Now that she knew, the scent was unmistakable, even if it was fairly faint at the moment. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Come on, we need to get you home, you can submit your leave over email.”

“I know, I know, it came on early, I don’t know why. But I was already here, and I wanted to leave this.” Rey immediately took the bag from her hands, glancing around to ensure the hallway was empty. Holdo’s office was down at the end, next door to Leia’s. She knew one of them would still be there.

“Okay, come on, if Holdo’s gone, we can leave it with Leia. Have you called Finn yet?” She caught Rose’s hand in her free one, keeping a tight grip in case one of the obnoxious alphas in legal or robotics came by. Most of the time they were adults, but after seeing that shitty website… Rose’s name had been on there, too.

“No, I just started feeling hot on the drive over,” she frowned at Rey’s hold on her hand. “Is it really that strong?”

“Rey!”

They both froze as Leia Organa herself came hurrying out of her corner office, and Rey instinctively took a step forward, inserting herself between Rose and Leia’s faint but definitely  _ alpha _ scent.

“Leia.” She noted their boss had stopped walking and simply stood a the end of the hall, regarding them both carefully. A small smile twitched over her lips as she took in Rose’s flushed features and the distinctly protective way Rey was standing between them. She glanced at the bag in Rey’s hand, a question hanging on her raised brow.

“Can I help with anything?” Leia asked finally. Rey glanced back at Rose, squeezing her hand quickly before she closed the distance and held the backpack out to her boss.  _ Of all the times… Finally catch Leia alone, and now I don’t have the time… _

She couldn’t be mad at Rose, of course, it wasn’t her fault her heat decided to sneak up on her early like this, but she really did need to spend some time, preferably in private, with her mate’s mother.

“This is Renata’s. She’s been staying with Holdo because of…” Leia’s eyes turned gentle and she gave a quick nod.

“I know,” she said, accepting it. “I’ll make sure she gets it. And I’ll approve Rose Tico for heat days immediately. Don’t worry about calling HR.”

Their eyes met briefly, and Rey smiled in gratitude. “Thank you, Leia.”

“One day soon, you and I need to talk,” her boss said in answer. “The next time you’re in the office. I’ll find you on my lunch break.”

“Right, fine.” She turned back to Rose, who gave Leia a tremulous wave.

“Thanks, Sen - Ms. Organa - Leia.” Her voice was an awkward squeak, and she turned quickly when Rey touched her arm, hiding the flame of embarrassment on her cheeks.

“You’re welcome, Rose. There’s no need to be embarrassed, it happens. Take care of yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As soon as they were alone in the elevator, Rose buried her face in the fabric of Rey’s sweater. “Oh, my god, please don’t tell anyone that happened. Senator Organa - she could smell it, that’s why she came out of her office. I’ll  _ never _ be able to look her in the eye.”

“Relax, she’s not nearly as scary as everyone thinks.” Rey soothed. Rose let out a choked laugh.

“Yeah, you can say that, you’re mated to her son. I’m just an engineer working in the basement.” She swallowed. “Rey, can you just drive me to -”

“I can’t drive.”

“Wait, what?” Suddenly Rose was eyeing her like she’d said she couldn’t tie her shoelaces, or something equally obvious. “What do you mean you can’t?”

Rey shrugged. “Never had much opportunity to learn. Kylo and Nat have been teaching me in her old truck, but I’d never make it out of downtown.”

Rose just stared at her, mouth momentarily agape before she came to her senses and scrambled for her phone. 

“Okay, alright, I’ll just call an Uber -”

“Rose, that’s illegal. Even in a progressive place like San Francisco.”

“Right.” They stared at each other as the elevator chimed at the level off the parking lot. “So…”

“You ladies alright?”

Rey turned to find Poe Dameron giving them a hesitant smile, car keys and ID badge dangling from his hands. Fuck his terribly lazy coding, at that moment she almost kissed him.

“Actually -”

“Rey, no!” Rose grabbed at her sleeve. “I’ll ruin his car.” Poe gave her a confused, flustered look, then dragged a hand through his unruly curls and tugged on his jacket.

“Um. I’ve got some beach towels in the trunk if that would… help?” He still looked uncertain, but he was friendly and willing to offer any assistance he could. 

“He could just drive your car to the bar,” Rey suggested. “It’s only a few blocks. I’ll pay for your ride back later,” she offered to Poe.

“Sure, I don’t mind. Which one’s yours?”

Rey could see the struggle in her friend’s eyes, and grimaced. Having pretty much rebuilt the old Shelby Mustang with her own hands, Rose was very protective of her car. She didn’t know Poe very well, but Rey did, and she grinned.

“You know that Mustang you were wondering about, with the unmatched paint and killer engine?”

Poe stilled, giving Rose a more careful up-and-down. “That’s yours? I get to drive  _ that _ ?”

“It is,” Rose beamed as they walked towards the car, Poe giving an appreciative whistle as they got inside.

“This baby is something special,” he complimented. Rose narrowed her eyes as he adjusted the mirror, shifting carefully in her seat on top of the blanket from her backseat and Rey’s sweater. “Who put in the motor?”

“I did.” Rose smirked at his surprised glance. “I did all of it, actually. Bought the frame for a couple hundred bucks and the rest whenever I could. I’m waiting on Kaydel to get some free time in the fabrication bay so we can build the body.”

“Nice,” Poe murmured, clearly distracted by the purr of the engine and the smoothly-shifting transmission. They made it to the bar in less than ten minutes, and Rey left Rose in the car with Poe guarding her while she ran in to get Finn.

It was a crowded Thursday night, she had to fight through a line at the bar before she got to Elle, and when she explained the situation over a series of shouts, the other omega rolled her eyes in disgust at the loss of her best worker.

“No time to restock?” She clarified, as they waited for Finn to come out from the back room. She bit her glittery purple lip delicately when Rey shook her head.

“I can pitch in if you want,” she offered, noting Elle’s growing look of desperation. “Under the table?”

“Oh, sweetheart. If you weren't mated, I’d kiss you.”

Rey didn’t particularly  _ like _ Elle, but something in her just couldn’t abandon a fellow omega in need like that, and she’d had some experience working (illegally) as a barback in Unkar Plutt’s filthy pub. Finn was quick to hand over his apron, giving Rey the barest of hugs and grinning like an idiot when she ordered him to take good care of Rose.

 

The next three hours were a blur - she spent a few minutes here and there chatting with Poe Dameron when they had a lull, but eventually he decided to call it a night and got his own ride, refusing Rey’s offer to pay.

“That’s an open-minded pal you’ve got,” Elle observed after he left. “Not a single humanist slur, kissed my hand and called me a lady, paid his tab and tip with cash and all. Where’d you find him?”

Rey laughed. Of course Poe would kiss her hand. He knew exactly how to chat someone up, and he didn’t really seem to have any sexual preference other than ‘yes, please.’

“Work, believe it or not. He’s a charmer, sure, but between you and me, he’s kind of shite at the job,” she told her honestly.

“Hmmm. Maybe he just needs to find a job that suits his talents better.” Elle winked, and Rey rolled her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure he does that for free.”

“Ah, must not be all that, then,” she quipped. “If you’re good at something, you should never give it away for free.”

“Speaking of which…” Rey eyed the tip jar. It was getting late, the bar was half-empty, and she had already snuck a text to ask Kylo to pick her up. Elle gave her an appraising look.

“Clever, aren’t you? Go on, tip yourself out then. A deal is a deal.” She watched as Rey counted it out and took her third, tapping her mysteriously unblemished lips with a manicured nail. “I know I don’t need to tell you a portion of that belongs to Finn.”

“No, you don’t.” Rey smiled. She intended to give it all to Finn, but she figured Elle could come to that conclusion on her own. She went to sit at a table by the window, watching for Kylo’s black Audi and idly scrolling through various tech blogs she followed. 

She was so exhausted, it took her a minute to realise someone was speaking to her. Someone who had, in fact, helped themselves to the chair across from her.

“Sorry, what?”

“Oh yeah, you’re her. The accent’s right and everything.” The strange man was doing that particularly douchebag alpha thing of sitting backwards in the chair, arms wrapped around the back to display his mediocre gym commitment, and Rey’s hackles went up immediately. “Oh, don’t be like that. No one here could afford that price. I just wanted to get a closer look. And smell.”

He leaned forward, inhaling - and suddenly he was flying out of the chair, smack into the wall with Kylo’s hand wide around his neck. His obnoxious faux leather hat spun in the opposite direction, exposing a greasy mop of dirty blonde hair, grubby hands scratching at the steel grip cutting off his breath.

It happened so quickly, Rey barely had time to get to her feet, but Elle was alarmingly faster. One minute, she was behind the bar, all manicured nails and glittery makeup - the next a snarling leopard landed on the table before Rey, all teeth and claws and a prickled ridge-line of raised fur. Everything else in the bar stopped, regulars taking in the state of the room carefully while the asshole’s friends cackled at their table.

There was a faint hum off electricity, and heads turned as the bar’s owner strode slowly out from the back room, a long metal rod that looked suspiciously like a fucking  _ cattle prod _ in his hands. 

“Ben, put the douchebag down, please. Lord knows what kind of nasty diseases he might have.” The man grunted at Lando’s obvious disdain. “Your mother would be very unhappy with me if I let you catch rabies from some mangy dog in my bar.”

“He threatened my mate,” Kylo growled, sparing Lando Calrissian the briefest glance, though Rey knew he was once a packmate of the Solo’s. “He was  _ sniffing _ .”

“I know, kid, but I cannot stand by and watch you face prosecution for murdering someone in my establishment.” He paused to tap the stick in his hands. “Even if said person very much deserves it. Police crawling all over the place is just not good for business, and your father's ghost would never forgive me.”

As soon as Kylo let him go, the man hastened back to his friends, several of whom Rey could see had their phones out, no doubt collecting video evidence. Lando and Elle advanced from either side, their established clientele parting around them. When they were close enough, he tapped the primary asshole on the shoulder and gestured to the door.

“I’m only going to say it once. The door is over there. I suggest you make use of it.” His eye traveled around to some of the regulars Rey was familiar with, drag queens and bikers and everything in between, all watching the scene with varying levels off amusement and zero sympathy for the aggressor. “Those are some nice devices. Be a shame if they made it into the wrong hands.”

Rey didn’t see the rest of it unfold, as Lando ushered her and Kylo into the storage room and out the back door, but she had a feeling none of that video would make it out.

“Hurry up and get out of here, Solo. Be one less lie I’ve got to pull over on our hard-working law enforcement.” He squeezed Rey’s shoulder, gently. “Keep safe, sweetheart. I mean it. We can’t lose another Solo.”

“She’ll be fine,” Kylo hissed, draping her with his heavy arm so she nearly staggered into him. “No one’s going to fucking touch her under my watch -”

“Then you’d better make sure you’re around to watch out for her,” Lando interrupted solemnly. “Go home, kids. Do not pass go, forget the two-hundred dollars, just  _ go home. _ ”

Rey leaned into Kylo, so exhausted suddenly her very bones ached, and he turned away from Lando to wrap his arm more securely around her waist. 

“Are you alright?”

“Just tired. God, Kylo.” He carried her the last few yards, and she let him deposit her in the passenger seat and fuss over the seatbelt before he climbed in to drive. “I have had the  _ worst bloody day. _ ”

“Poor Rey.” He gave her a sidelong appraisal as he pulled out onto the street. “Waffles for dinner? There's whipped cream.”

“God, I fucking love you.”

“I know.” One of his rare, genuine smiles broke over his face, and Rey couldn't help her own foolish grin. He was always so blissfully ignorant of his own beauty, but when his controlled demeanor slipped and she glimpsed his real, unfiltered emotions, it took her breath away. He rested his hand low on her thigh, not sensually, just supportive affection, and she felt herself relaxing slowly. “Tell me what happened, sweetheart.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Any chance you can flake your way out, or are you past the ordering part?”
> 
> “Ummm… No and yes?”
> 
> “Damn. Okay, here’s how you escape. The woman is a hound for any goo on her son, so if you don’t want to answer or you need to change the subject, talk about Kylo. Just… anything. Talk about his fucking hair care, it doesn’t matter, trust me, she’ll eat it up. Can you do that?”
> 
> “Yep.” Rey pressed her lips together to keep from snickering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am really sick right now and of course I had to black out and fall and need stitches on top of it... Because I'm just extra like that... So this will probably be the last update for this month :( I swear I will go back to regular updates as soon as I can sit at a keyboard for any length of time. Fortunately I edit on my tablet and I'm a couple chapters ahead on my outline so I had this one ready.

Rey picked up her phone for the second time in the last hour, scrolled through the contacts, and groaned in frustration, setting it aside. She adored Rose, but it was annoyingly difficult to manage her current stressors without the advice or input of her two closest friends, and sometimes she really wished they weren't mated to  _ each other _ . She tapped her fingers on her desk, debating on sending another text to Kylo, but he and Jacen were supposed to be moving furniture and getting the carpets cleaned so Renata could come back home. 

But this fucking website… Normally, doing a deep dive into the hellholes of the internet had been Innara’s job, but their last two email exchanges had been shortly-worded, and Rey couldn't help but share some of the pack's resentment towards her. Somewhere between ‘trial separation’ and ‘‘irreconcilable differences’ the weretiger had developed a decidedly cruel tongue, and they had all just avoided speaking more than necessary for the transfer of possessions and paperwork. But she was still keeping tabs on all the nasty entities the Knights of Ren had been formed to go after, sending her finds to the same list of contacts which included Rey and Ahsoka Tano, and lately Luke Skywalker had been added to that list of potential assholes. Something had leaked about a skin-prick vaccine, and suddenly the looming Omega’s Ball, just two weeks away, had become more than just a controversial gathering of hormones.

The potential threat was drifting about on several forums, with wildly-varied theories and a barrage of false information, but this morning an email had come through on the still-secure OVPN server confirming the existence of the vaccine. That was enough for Kylo and Rey to decide they were going, and now she had to manage buying tickets and passes, finding the necessary evening wear for the final gala, and all the practical logistics while still coordinating with Renata on the tactical side.

It was a headache of a job in itself, and Rey felt a wave of guilt at spending so many of her actual work hours on it after all her complaints about the rest of the department. At least she wasn't assigned to the help desk today.

Movement in her periphery made her turn, and she blinked at the face of her boss and future mother-in-law standing right outside her cubicle. “Leia! Ah, um-”

“Busy day?” Her deep brown eyes, so similar to Kylo’s but sharp where his were soft latched onto her screen, and Rey flushed, realizing she had been caught looking at dresses like an idiot.

“I was just… Sorry… we weren't sure we were going, and now I’m doing all these things last minute and Rose and Finn are…” But Leia was simply regarding her with a warm smile.

“It's alright, Rey. I know you're a good worker. I just came by to see if you were free for that lunch you promised me the other day.” She raised an eyebrow as Rey stuttered. “I might be able to help with some of that. My personal stylist is quite good.”

“Oh, no, that's not - I mean, yes to the lunch, but I don't think we need a stylist -”

Leia chuckled. “You're going to take Rose Tico and Renata Argent to a gala? Trust me, dear. You need a stylist. Arthur is mostly retired now, but I know he appreciates a challenge. He won't turn you down.” She pulled a slim wallet from her purse, a little leather accessory made exclusively to hold business cards, which seemed like the dumbest thing ever to Rey, and withdrew a blue card with simple white script. “Just give him a call, he'll know who you are. Now, how do you feel about curry?”

Rey tucked the card away for later, grabbing her satchel and coat and following Leia to the elevator. 

“I like food,” she replied, and Leia laughed. “I’ll eat anything once, really. Just please tell me you're not vegan.”

“Just Jewish, but if you promise not to tell God about a bit of bacon on my salad, I won't tell Jacen Syndulla you don't like his curry.”

  
  
  


“So what do you plan to do about my brother?” Leia began without preamble, right after they had ordered their drinks. The restaurant was far too nice to do a proper curry, Rey thought, scanning the menu in an attempt to hide her reaction.

“What…” She paused. This was a potentially dangerous conversation, she couldn’t treat it with the casual disinterest Leia seemed to have.  _ What would Renata say? _ She closed her menu slowly, lowering it to the table and settling the cloth napkin in her lap. “That depends on what your brother plans to do.”

There. That certainly seemed to give Leia something to chew on. She sipped her not-terrible chai and waited.

“I think I’ll have the lamb,” Leia said as if they hadn’t just traded barbs. “Not too many good places for it around this area.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m not terribly familiar with anything in downtown other than the street carts,” she responded, smiling faintly at Leia’s sharp laugh.

“You’ll have to learn,” her boss said with a raise of her eyebrows. “I hear you’ve come up in the world, recently.”

“I have no intention of quitting,” Rey assured her. “Though I don’t suppose I need the scholarship anymore, so if you can pass that on, I’m sure there are others who desperately need the help up.”

“Hmm. That’s a good point. I’ll have to bring it up at the next board meeting.” They were interrupted by the server, bringing a plate of flatbread and a few options of chutney that went from from summer in London to the surface of the sun with no apparent order. Rey quite liked heat in her food, and she had not lied about her love of food, either. Leia watched her devour three pieces of naan slathered in tongue-scalding relish with a hint of surprise. “I’ve been told my son is decent in the kitchen. Are you sure he’s not starving you?”

“Kylo? No, he’s fine, but we share a kitchen with six people, and one of them is Jacen. Finn does most of the cooking, actually.” She shrugged. “He did make me waffles for dinner a couple days ago when I was really upset.”

“Now  _ that’s _ the kind of thing a mother likes to hear.” She favored Rey with a rare smile, and she realized a genuine human connection with Leia was just as uncommon as it was with her son. She might smile a lot, and she certainly knew how to motivate people, but Leia Organa was the daughter of a politician and a long-term senator. She kept herself under lock-and-key just as much as Kylo did.

Rey returned the smile for what it was, grateful for the server who arrived to take their order and give her a moment to collect her thoughts.

“There’s this website, I don’t know if I should tell you about it or not, but -” the older woman waved her hand.

“Don’t worry about my sensibilities, obviously I’m neither a virgin nor a saint, or we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Which one was it?” She just nodded when Rey told her, peering over the edge of her glasses. “I assume you’re not going to the… special showing.”

Rey played with the edge of her napkin. Obviously she didn’t want to, and Kylo had made his aversion to it  _ very _ clear, but if Renata and Innara weren’t together anymore, they were going to need someone in that room. She hadn’t brought any of this up to Kylo, of course, or anyone else (because Rose and Finn weren’t available). Leia had caught her hesitation, however, and she gave Rey a stern look.

“Rey. Tell me you’re not thinking about doing this thing.”

“I wasn’t before, but… There have been some concerns about the skin vaccine.” She glanced up at Leia. “And we know it exists, so potentially someone could do a lot of damage in a short time.”

“Well they should cancel the whole thing, then! If it’s that much of a threat, why even take the risk of gathering so many targets in one place?” She sounded exasperated, and Rey wondered if she’d had a similar conversation with someone else, or if she had inside knowledge from her brother and was legitimately concerned. But if she was, wouldn’t she have her own operatives in place?

“Surely you know that’s not going to happen,” she said calmly, cursing again that she couldn’t excuse herself to go get Rose’s opinion for a few seconds in the bathroom. She was out of her league, speaking to Leia like this, and obviously Leia was well aware of it, no matter how proud of herself she was for weathering the first few minutes. 

But maybe there  _ was _ someone she could reach out to… Abruptly, she dabbed her lips with her napkin and got up. “I’m going to run to the ladies’ room before our food gets here. It’ll just be a minute, I promise.”

“Oh, of course,” Leia gave her a knowing smirk. “My son does know who you work for, doesn’t he?”

“We’ve discussed it several times,” she assured her as she walked away. Let Leia believe she was sneaking off to text Kylo complaining about his overprotective mother. Actually she did text him, just once to let him know where she was, before she sent a few more and crossed her fingers for a quick reply. She yelped slightly when her phone began to ring, and with no other recourse, leaned her back against the bathroom door to keep her conversation at least semi private.

“Sorry, kid, I’m old-fashioned. You in the water closet?” Rey laughed at Renata’s joking accent, remembering belatedly that both her ex-mates were British. “Just answer yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Good girl.” It was a reflexive answer, and Rey didn’t realize she was smiling at the praise until Renata went on with her question. “You alone with the Queen?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, she likes to trap her targets. Kylo know?”

“Yes.”

“Any chance you can flake your way out, or are you past the ordering part?”

“Ummm… No and yes?”

“Damn. Okay, here’s how you escape. The woman is a hound for any goo on her son, so if you don’t want to answer or you need to change the subject, talk about Kylo. Just… anything. Talk about his fucking hair care, it doesn’t matter, trust me, she’ll eat it up. Can you do that?”

“Yep.” Rey pressed her lips together to keep from snickering.  _ Talk about his fucking hair care… I love you, Renata. _

“Okay, second, she doesn’t like silence, so if you want her to spill whatever it is you think she knows, just give the barest minimum in response. Drives her up the wall, Han Solo was the undisputed  _ master _ at it. Somehow I think you’ll be pretty good too. Is she drinking?”

“No.”

“Order a drink.”

“No… We’re-”

“Doesn’t matter, get that woman some alcohol ASAP. She’s more likable that way, anyhow. Trust me.”

“Okay,” Rey agreed, not bothering to mention that she was under the legal drinking age in America and had almost had her visa revoked after Kylo went rogue. Somehow she had a feeling Renata would consider that a cowardly excuse, especially after she’d been working for Lando under the table to help cover Finn’s heat leave. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good girl.” She almost flinched, but she didn’t have time to explain to the much-older alpha how her choice of words was borderline inappropriate. Kylo was only half-joking when he teased her about her rough upbringing, and Rey could imagine the expression on his face would be telling by itself if Renata ever slipped up in front of him. “Now, most important, do  _ not _ talk about any Skywalkers unless she brings them up. Luke, Anakin, Padme, doesn’t matter, just  _ don’t _ .”

“Umm….”

“She’s already brought one up, hasn’t she?”

“Yep.”

“Anakin?”

“No.”

“Ahhhh…. Definitely get that woman a drink, then. Still, my advice is the same. Stay quiet, let her ramble, don’t offer her anything  _ like _ an opinion on her brother or her father. Maybe drop the story about Padme in the underworld if you think it’ll help, but only if she’s had a couple drinks. Are we good?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Be a good kid and call Kylo once you’re out, alright?”

“Okay.”

Now suitably armed, Rey left the bathroom and snuck over to the bar, which was fortunately completely walled off from the restaurant part of the establishment. Crossing her fingers that this place wasn’t full of Leia’s spies, she got the bartender’s attention and offered all the cash in her wallet - something close to two hundred dollars, which she realized was her tip money from the Purple Panther - to anonymously send a bottle of wine to their table. In a spur of genius, she told the man to send it to Rey Kenobi, scenting that he was human and hoping her face wasn’t that recognizable, and thankfully the wad of cash made him forget to ask for ID. Then she went to the bathroom, washed her hands for effect, and went back to the table, relieved to find their food hadn’t even arrived yet.

“So should I expect my son to come rushing in with some sort of fabricated emergency to rescue you?” Leia greeted her. Rey gave her a surprised, wounded frown.

“No, of course not. He’s not my master.” She shook out her napkin and sat, slipping her phone back into her satchel. “I was just checking on Renata. The boys got her room cleaned out and we need to know what kind of furniture she wants moved in.”

Leia eyed her, her expression slightly mollified.

“Ahhh… That is a difficult situation. I don’t envy any of you.” She shook her head. “So, about this convention -”

She was interrupted by the anonymous wine bottle, and Rey didn’t have to fabricate her look of irritation at all. Leia had just been about to explain herself without any silent treatment on her part at all. But it was worth it, the look Leia shot her and then the waiter was filled with unfeigned concern.

“Who sent it?” She asked sharply. The waiter, who had received his instructions from the bartender and as far as Rey knew hadn’t seen her, shrugged.

“Just an admirer, ma’am. Someone at the bar who saw the young lady pass, I suppose.”

“If he just saw her pass, how did he know her name?”

“It could have been a woman,” Rey said with a shrug. “Anyway, it’s free.”

“Rey. Do I need to remind you this is a business lunch?”

“Are we going to talk about business then?” She asked with a knowing smirk. Leia sighed.

“Alright, we’ll have one glass each. It’s too expensive to go to waste anyway.”

Their food arrived shortly after, although Leia seemed less interested in it than she did in milking Rey for any information she was willing to spill on Kylo.

“So, am I going to get a wedding invitation, or do you kids not believe in that sort of thing anymore?” Leia asked just as she had taken a bite of food, waiting impatiently while Rey reached for her wine glass to wash it down.  _ Just talk about Kylo… Right. _

“No, we umm… We’ve talked about it.” She sipped again, waiting to see if Leia would press the issue. Rey had noticed she had a tendency to drop bits of personal information when she was trying to engage her with a question.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“ _ Leia _ !” She made a wide-eyed gestured towards her wine glass, and the older woman leaned back with a relieved sigh.

“Well, good. You’re too young. I was twenty-two when I had Ben, and I still think I was too young. Han was older, but, well… The men in my family never really grow up.” She jabbed her fork in Rey’s direction. “That goes for Ben as well.”

“I know.” She laughed. “Believe me, I know.”

“Just wait until you see him lose his temper. The Skywalkers have a flair for drama, and I’m afraid Han’s genes didn’t do much to help there.” It was all Rey could do to bite her tongue. She  _ had _ seen Kylo angry, but she had been warned by both Renata and Jacen that angry and ‘full-on Skywalker melt-down’ were very different things. 

During her first week at Organa Tech, she had been the unfortunate witness to Leia Organa-Solo  _ throwing a chair _ at a cowering Snap Wexley. If that was a full example of his short, petite, sixty-two-year-old mother in a terror, she shuddered to think what Kylo would be like, but she had no intention of allowing him to throw things, at her or anyone else. She decided to try and deter the conversation away from Kylo, despite Renata’s advice.

“I’ve been told I’m a calming influence. Kylo said something about Han being the same way…” she paused, wondering if that was too much information, but Leia was already leaning forward eagerly. “Ah, he was an omega? Kylo - Ben’s father?”

“You’d have never guessed it if you’d just met him. Calming influence!” She snorted. “I suppose he was  _ sometimes _ . Sometimes he just made me angrier. He had a sharp-tongue and a hell of a way of fighting, but a good heart beneath it all.” 

Leia sipped her wine and tilted her head, giving Rey an appraising look. “Han always pllayed his cards so close, he barely looked at them himself. Kinda reminds me of someone else.” She winked, and Rey blushed. She had no idea what to think of Kylo’s mom comparing her to her dead mate, but it was a pretty common to hear that people marry their parents. “Anyway, I didn’t even know until one day Chewie called while I was out campaigning for… I don’t even remember. Some state representative. Chewie’s not the type to just call people like that, and this was before cell phones, you know, so I knew it was important. That idiot had locked himself in his trailer. I mean, he was pretty famous, even then. Could’ve had his pick of alphas, but no. Said he couldn’t stand the scent of anyone who wasn’t me. Yelled it, actually. Like it was my fault somehow. He never did like heats, even after we were bitten and got hitched, he couldn’t stand to be so -”

“Vulnerable,” Rey finished. “And needy. I hate it.”

Leia raised an eyebrow, half open mouth rounding into a laugh.

“You two would have gotten along. I’m sorry you never got to meet him. He was an orphan, like you. No one to rely on but Chewie most of his life.” Rey nodded sympathetically.

“It’s hard. I learned early on not to trust people. It’s instinct now, going into heat just feels like… my body’s betrayed me in the worst way.” She decided to reach for her water glass, feeling overexposed with such an intimate discussion. “I wanted to ask you… Kylo thought you would be able to explain to me, what is it exactly I’m supposed to do for… for the pack? He’s the leader and I’m his mate, I know there’s some responsibility -”

“You’re already doing it, Rey. The alpha is there to make the big decisions, decide when to fight, when to defend, call the shots when you’re engaged in a critical mission… But your job as omega is to shore up the pack when you’re  _ not _ in a critical situation.” She smiled grimly. “Like the other day with Ms. Tico. Don’t think I missed the way you put yourself between me and her. I should be offended, I guess, but I know you were just trying to make it easier on her. And today I find you using your work hours to organize whatever it is you’re planning for this convention -”

“Sorry, I swear I don’t normally abuse my office hours, it’s just been complicated…”

“Honey, you put in twice the work Dameron does in half the time. I’m not worried about you misusing your on-the-clock hours.” She reached over to squeeze Rey’s hand. “I am worried about you doing the lingerie walk.”

“I just said I was considering it. But I’ve seen the video of past shows, and it’s quite dark off stage, plus this is in a smaller room -”

“Rey, I’m begging you. Don’t do it. Please. If you or Kylo were targeted, I couldn’t live with myself.” Her gaze widened with surprise when Rey jerked her hand away.

“Targeted? Why would we be targeted? By who?” She snapped each question more sternly then the next, giving her boss an icy stare. Leia sighed, falling back in her seat.

“I have my own people on it, Rey. Please believe me.”

“Are these the same people who allowed Armitage Hux and Bazine Netal to sic a Hellhound on us?” She demanded archly. Rey waited a moment, to see if Leia was going to admit culpability, but she just scowled into her glass, looking up only as Rey got to her feet and was shrugging on her jacket.

“The wine was a cheap trick. Who do I have to thank?”

“Renata.” Leia nodded without further comment. “I’ll see you at work, unless I’m being let go for personal reasons after this.”

“No, of course not. Give me some credit.” Leia frowned, rubbing one temple with her fingers. “You kids just can’t go a day without giving me a headache, can you?”

“I’ll make sure you get an invitation. If there’s a wedding.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No! Stop it, Kylo!” She sat up, shrugging his shirt back around her and staring at him with what she hoped was a stern gaze. “Did you forget I bit you, too? Don’t tell me I’m too young to make decisions, I’ve been responsible for myself most of my life! I don’t regret anything. Even tonight. Especially not tonight! I just need some… some personal time.”
> 
> “Personal time,” he repeated darkly, and she shook her head, reaching out to him, but he turned away. “It’s alright, Rey. I understand.”
> 
> No, you clearly don’t, you fucking idiot, but I’m not going to fight with you over it now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut with a dash of angst and a bit of fluff! My favorite Reylo recipe, all in one chapter! Enjoy ;)

“Just think about it,” Rey settled on the edge of their bed to brush her hair, still damp from the shower. Kylo had been pretending to read something on his tablet and ignore her little speech about the information Innara had gathered and her lunch with Leia, but she knew he had heard her. “Kylo -”

“Rey, thinking about it anymore makes me even _less_ inclined to agree. I know, it’s the perfect place for the purist attack I keep hearing threats about, but that only means I don’t want you _anywhere_ close to it.” He ran a hand through his hair, watching her with wide, nervous eyes. “Please come to bed. I’ll talk to Nat and Finn, okay? I promise, just… the alpha in me wants to tie you to the bed and put a bolt on the bedroom door. It’s not rational.”

“I’m not… adverse to the first part of that…” She turned, feeling her face flush as his eyes trapped her. Her body was already responding to the images of Kylo binding her and taking her at his leisure, and she closed her eyes when he leaned forward, lips parted slightly to better take in her scent.

“Don’t tempt me,” he warned in a low voice. She could smell him now, too, and she opened her eyes to find him crawling towards her across the bed. “Rey. I want to -”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t even say what.”

He frowned, reaching out to tip her face up towards his and claim her mouth with a searing kiss, hot and unrelenting, nipping her lip and forcing his tongue into her mouth. Rey whimpered, clutching his shoulders and bowing willingly to his forceful assault, trapping his tongue and sucking against it eagerly. They parted, both panting, and Kylo’s eyes grazed over her, taking in her faded band t-shirt and the blue flannel she had stolen from him and now used as a sort of robe.

“I don’t care. Just… I need you. I need to let go.” The week had left her with every muscle in her body tensed, and even the hottest shower she could stand still left her feeling overwhelmed and worn thin.

“Please,” she added, looking up to meet his eyes, thrilled to find them already dark with lust and need.

Kylo didn’t need anymore invitation, he dragged her into the center of the bed with one arm, the other fisting around her shirt. He used his teeth to tear it, quickly yanking away the shreds while Rey yelped in shock. She tried to shrug out of his flannel, but he hissed and pinned her wrists beside her, his lips flush against her ear.

“No. I like seeing you in my clothes.” He mouthed at her neck, tongue tracing a path from her jaw to her shoulder, where he sucked and bit recklessly, leaving a pattern of bruises in his wake. Rey sat up to reach him, her hands fumbling for his pants, but he batted them away, instead yanking the shirt back so her arms were stuck behind her. “How would you like it if I tied you up this way?”

She swallowed, looking up at the fire in his gaze, and bit her lip.

“That depends on you, I suppose. If you promise to pleasure me while I’m tied up…” She shrugged, the words braver than she felt. “I don’t know. I might like it. You might end up with a wolf in your bed.”

“Fuck.” He stared down at her flirtatious smirk and then his mouth crashed over hers, hard and hot, his teeth dragging at her lip and his tongue invading her, sucking the air from her lungs in a greedy moan.

He pulled away, hands firm but not too rough on her shoulders, clutching her body like she was a puppet he could manipulate however he wanted.

“Turn over. On your hands and knees,” he gasped, and Rey felt a flash of white-hot heat fill her stomach as she did as he commanded. She started to lie down in front, reaching for a pillow to clutch under her head, but his hand came down on her wrist to stop her.

“No. Put your hands behind your back.” Gently, he pulled her arms back behind her, and she was forced to fall down on her shoulders, but Kylo transferred his grip to one hand so he could arrange the pillow for her comfort. “Okay?”

“Yes,” she agreed in a breathy whisper. They’d never done anything like this outside of her heat. Rey preferred to be on top, or at least eye-to-eye, but she couldn’t deny how it made her feel and Kylo could certainly tell. She was unusually wet, and this position left her so exposed… Part of her was frightened, and part of her (the dominant part) begged for more.

She whimpered as he used the shreds of her sleep shirt to bind her wrists, loosely enough to provide some give for comfort, but secure. Instinctively, she wiggled her body and flexed her hands as he drew his fingers over her neck and shoulders, sweeping her hair into one hand. He leaned over her with a slight tug pulling her head back, his breath warm against the back of her neck as he whispered.

“You’re beautiful like this. Bending to me.” He mouthed down to nip at her ear and the scent glands beneath it, and Rey closed her eyes and relaxed into his hands. “Make lots of good noises for me while I pleasure you.”

“Oh, God,” she rubbed her face further into the pillow, letting out a shamefully loud howl when he moved behind her and licked her completely, from the sensitive pearl in front all the way to - to - “Kylo!”

“No? Not there?”

“I didn’t say no, it just… surprised me.” His fingers explored the wet heat of her entrance, and he gave an appreciative grunt when he found just how excited he’d made her.

“Oh, Rey. You like this.” His tongue replaced his fingers and he lapped at the slickness inside her, drawing soft whimpers from her as she silently begged him to do more, to touch her or penetrate somewhere with something besides his tongue. His voice was smug when he spoke. “Put something inside you besides my tongue?”

“Shit! I can’t control it - like this -” Her words choked off as he slid one finger deep inside her, lazily thrusting just to tease her. She could sense what he wanted to do next, and she whimpered, trying to push herself back over his hand. “You can - do that - I -” _Fuck me there with your finger, it’s okay, I want to know…_

He did, very carefully, slowly wriggling up to his knuckle, leaving Rey to groan and pant, muscles clenching around the intrusion.

“Relax for me, sweetheart,” he soothed. His tongue lapped at her entrance, warm and pleasing, and she sighed as her body eased. It was a familiar feeling, once she acclimated herself, and she whimpered as he slowly pushed his long digit in and dragged it out repeatedly.

“Rey?” His free hand came around to rub her shoulder, and she leaned her head against it, just enjoying the way his hands could engulf _so much_ of her body. Kylo’s touch, his mouth and his hands and the rest of him, all of it was heat, and Rey was like a sunflower, always yearning for the warmth.

“It’s… Good, I think…” she murmured finally in answer. He thrust in and out with a cautious increase in speed, and she moaned and rubbed her face against his hand.

“I want you to come like this.” God, did he know what his voice did to her? Of course. Of course he did, she’d told him before. Before she could respond, his other hand moved down her back, brushing her bound hands and roughly squeezing her ass before seeking out the center of her pleasure in front. _Fuck, fuck, fuck…_

“Rey,” he breathed against her neck while both of his hands worked her body, drawing wild, ruined cries from her as she shuddered beneth them. “Will you do that for me?”

Her response was a long moan that rose to a _howl_ , too far gone now to make any coherent words or control the state of her body. She writhed and twisted, the strange sensation of being filled from behind while he stimulated her apex with his other hand was too much and not enough at the same time, and her body jerked without really finding a rhythm. Rey growled desperately beneath the onslaught, her whole body feeling swollen and taught, seeking… seeking something more…

“Yes, _yes!_ ” His voice was low, filled with his own unbridled lust. “Show me how much you like this, you filthy little omega.”

“Kylo!” She pleaded, sweat pooling between her shoulders and more slick than she'd ever felt outside of her heat trickling between her legs. Suddenly his tongue was there, lapping it up, rasping inside of her to taste the source, and Rey screamed.

"Good girl!" He encouraged before going back for more. "Come for me, sweetheart, I need to taste it."

_Fuck, yes, please, tell me I’m good, taste me, use me, I'm yours, please alpha…_

“You taste so good, Rey. Keep making those sweet noises.” He had to have heard her thoughts, but she didn’t care, let him know, let him see how much she could give him, how good she could be. His left hand found the perfect place at her front, rubbing in swift, firm circles over her sensitive nub, while his tongue and finger thrust inside her. “Be a good girl, just let go. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

She sobbed when she finally did, clenching and thrusting her hips back and forth to chase his touch, lifted on a bright wave of delicious warmth, filling her, quieting her mind as it ebbed. Kylo’s soft hands eased her down until she twisted away with a cry from his fingers on her overstimulated body.

“Shhh… shhh… It’s alright, let me hold you.” He eased her to her side, pulling her against him him so she could feel his pulsing erection against her thigh. He kissed her ear and nibbled at her scent glands while she caught her breath.

“Well, that’s a thing now, I guess.” She breathed out a low chuckle. “I never thought I’d want to do that outside of… you know, in heat.”

“You’re a lot tighter…” he paused, and she could hear him thinking, too curious to bother backing away when it was about her. “I don’t think -”

“No. I’m sorry, but you’re rather too… _alpha_ for me be comfortable.” She felt a wicked smile creep up and she wiggled against him purposely. “Please feel free to _penetrate_ me in other ways, though.”

“Oh, yeah. We’re not done, sweetheart,” he growled in her ear as he wrapped his arms firmly around her and rolled onto his back. Rey panicked, struggling against her bonds until he firmly guided her to straddle him, facing away from him. “Rey. Be still and let me pose you. Trust me.”

He lifted her up onto her knees to fit them together, and she forced herself to be calm and let him move her until she was sinking back onto his deliciously hard length, and they both groaned when he filled her to completion.

“There, see?” He swept her hair out of the way, gripping it firmly in one hand while the other held tight to her bindings. Rey felt well and truly powerless this way, not only was she tied up, his hold on her hair allowed only the slightest movement.

But when he began to thrust beneath her, fucking into her with his blinding alpha strength, all she could do was moan and close her eyes as familiar heat poured through her again.

“You’re mine. My beautiful, filthy mate,” he groaned, tightening his fingers in her hair until tears pricked her eyes. “Say it. Say it!”

“Yes - God, Kylo!” Her whole body rocked with his movements, and she let out another loud howl as she crested unexpectedly, wailing as his thrusts dragged it out. “I’m yours, I’m yours, alpha!”

 _God, you're beautiful, I could fuck you nonstop for the rest of my life. My mate. My love. Mineminemine..._ Rey was absolutely sure he didn't realize she heard his thoughts, dimming to a low chant of 'mine' and 'fuck,' but now was not the time to confess. The mindless repetition of cursing and ownership had her inner omega purring, but it was the growing number of 'i love you's' added to his mantra that made her chest swell and her spine tingle.

“That’s right, omega," he encouraged, feeling her body clench around him. "My sweet love. Come with me, Rey. Please, please...” He was panting and she knew he was close, her mind open to his scrambled thoughts. She closed her eyes and shifted over him, adding what little movement she could until she felt him shuddering beneath her, the moment of frozen silence before he was cursing and groaning her name.

“Say my name when you come in me, alpha!” She liked this, the vulnerability, the willful submission of control, but Rey had to make sure he knew - she was his, yes, oh yes. But he was hers, too. " _My_ alpha.  _My_ mate."

“Rey - fuck - yours - yes, yes -” His cries were a low growl, and she reveled in just how broken they sounded coming from a man twice her size who had her bound and completely helpless under his control. He was still a moment, his knot expanding to stretch her wide while they both tried to breathe, and then she felt his hands unwinding the fabric from her wrists. He pushed her upwards carefully, eliciting a small whine from her as his width dragged inside her, but he soothed her quickly by rolling them to their sides and wrapping her in his arms, pressing kisses to her ear and temple.

“You didn't just now, did you?" He sounded legitimately anxious, and Rey could only roll her eyes, unsure if it was injured pride or his deeply-buried need to please her at all times.

"It's fine... Really, I already -"

"Will you come on my knot?” He whispered as he nibbled her earlobe with sharp teeth, mouthing down her neck and sucking bruises into her skin. Rey shuddered as she contracted around him with a whine.

“Tell me you’re mine again. My mate, my -” She cut off with a hoarse moan as his hand delved into where they were joined, catching fluid on his fingertips and rubbing her aching nub. It took longer, but Kylo was determined, wresting another peak from her as he filled her again with more of his spend.

“I’m yours, Rey.” he panted. “Completely yours. I love you so much.”

“Good!" She gasped, chest heaving as she fought for her breath. "Good alpha. I love you, too!"

They were quiet for a time, Rey trying to keep her thoughts to herself while she processed, but he knew her too well. Kylo shifted around her until he could see her face, taking in her thoughtful frown.

“Was it too much?” He asked hesitantly.

Rey blinked in surprise. How could he not tell? “No! No, it was… It was amazing… You’re always amazing, I just, I don’t know what to make of it…”

“What to make of it?”

“Kylo, I was a virgin a month and a half ago, do you remember that?” She shook her head. “All of this is… I never expected it to be like this, and it’s a lot to take in. I didn’t think that I would like these kinds of things and now I know I do, it’s just… weird. And I never… I didn’t want to mate anyone, but I didn’t know it would be like this.”

“Rey, we don’t have to fuck like that - I’m sorry, I forget that you’re so much younger. You don’t even have to sleep with me either. I should have given you more time...” He rolled over onto his back, letting go of her as his knot deflated, and Rey shoved herself up on her elbows to scowl at him. “Fuck! Fuck, what’s wrong with me, I should never have bitten you... I’m so sorry I just -”

“No -”

“But I’m -”

“No! Stop saying that, Kylo!” She sat up, shrugging his shirt back around her and staring at him with what she hoped was a stern gaze. “Did you forget I bit you, too? And don’t tell me I’m too young to make decisions, I’ve been responsible for myself most of my life! I don’t regret anything. Even tonight. _Especially_ not tonight! I just need some… some personal time.”

“Personal time,” he repeated darkly, and she shook her head, reaching out to him, but he turned away. “It’s alright, Rey. I understand.”

_No, you clearly don’t, you bloody imbecile, but I’m not going to fight with you over it now._

She buttoned his shirt hastily, checking that it hung low enough to cover everything, and got out of bed, slipping into the bathroom to clean up. She hoped he’d compose himself a little in the few minutes while she was in there, but she opened the door to find him still lying in the same pose, one arm flung over his eyes. _Drama queen_.

“I need to run,” she said, hoping he would understand that, at least. “It would be nice if you came with me. Please?”

“You want me to Change with you?” He sat up, looking her over in surprise.

“Yes. There's a turnout on the PCH where you can get down to the beach a couple miles away. It’s where Jacen goes to surf.” San Francisco was a pain to live in, but it had its highlights, and the beach and the ocean were at the top of the list. “It’s cold at night, but I like it. Reminds me of when I was… well, before Obi-wan came and made me be human. It’s empty and quiet.”

“Wouldn’t it be quieter without me?” He grumbled. “I thought you wanted personal time.”

“I do, but you’re not people.” She shook her head. Why was he always so quick to jump to the conclusion that she didn’t want him? “You don’t bother me. I like your company. Always.”

“Always?”

She climbed back onto the bed, crawling up his body to take his face in her hands, and pressed her forehead to his. Apparently she wasn’t getting the message across, so she decided to make an effort to be more affectionate. Rey wasn’t, by nature, she hated to be touched without permission and only truly felt comfortable hugging Kylo and Finn, but clearly he needed more reassurance, so maybe if she _drowned_ him in it, he would finally be satisfied.

“Yes, you bloody stupid alpha. Always.” She paused, reminded of something as she watched Kylo collect his jeans from the floor. "I want a klaive."

"You - you do?" He blinked at her, leaning in to study her expression before a hint of a smile touched his eyes. "Ah, you do!"

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tell Calrissian… Ben Solo needs a favor.”
> 
> Finn glanced up, taking in the grim set of the other man’s jaw, his mouth pressed into a near-snarl and his eyes far away. He coughed, capturing Kylo’s attention, and leaned over to show him his phone. At his leader’s nod, Finn thumbed the send button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter to make up for the wait!! I never want to hear the words "bone contusion" ever again. Thankfully no more stitches, but I am still 25 in my head and frustrated that my body doesn't bounce back like it used to... Getting older sneaks up on you :(

Running in his wolf form never failed to soothe him, and Kylo had to admit Rey was right. It was excellent stress relief, and the world just seemed so much simpler as a wolf. The scent of salt and seawater and all the wildlife in this secluded inlet filled his nostrils, and for the moment following the more interesting trails was a welcome distraction.

Rey raced ahead of him, darting back and forth, and once again he was amazed at the speed and agility of her peppered gray-white form. He had seen wolves of pure white, but somehow Rey’s coloring made her seem brighter, the snowy tips of her ears and delicate paws standing out under the near-full moon. She was heading back towards him now, making tracks in the wet sand that were rapidly washed away by the waves.

Watching her race towards him, he felt the beginnings of an idea forming. He had promised to teach her to shield her thoughts, as well as some of his other tricks since they shared the same half-moon auspice. The beach was secluded and inaccessible to humans, a perfect place to practice mystical arts.

_Rey_. He met her eyes as she reached him, padding through the sand to bump her her head against his chest and rub her scent under his jaw.

_What?_

_This is a perfect place for practicing._ He stepped back and shook himself, feeling damp with the spray of water and wind. It was a chilly night, too cold to return to their human forms, but mystic arts were easier to pick up as a wolf anyway, and the moon was bright to guide them.

He walked a but further from the surf and sat on his haunches, Rey following after and settling herself likewise across from him.

_Shielding first,_ he began. _Look carefully at the moon. Around the edges, where the glow meets the sky, there’s a kind of fuzzy halo._

She turned her head up, eyes narrowed. _Okay. I see what you mean._

_Think of your mind as the moon. Around it, that halo, is where your internal energy meets with the outside world. In order to keep it full and clear, you have to feed it._

_Feed it? Like a fire?_

_Yes, exactly!_ He would have smiled if her were human, but as a wolf his ears pricked towards her and he nodded once, firmly. _But this is a slow-burning fire. You don’t need a blazing heat. Just feed it enough to keep the embers glowing._

_Hmm._ She closed her eyes, and he watched her, opening himself to the immaterial plane, where an imbued observer could see the glow of energy all around them, varying from the bright white of their forms to the fading dimness of driftwood on the beach.

When he was satisfied with the look of her aura, he caught her attention with a soft nudge under her chin. _Good. Keep it up. Eventually it will be instinctive._

_It’s not hard,_ she scoffed. _Why didn’t you show me before?_

_We’re alone here. In our wolf forms. I think you’ll find it’s not so easy when you’re surrounded by people talking and laughing and being loud._

_Hm._

_Keep practicing,_ was all he could add. He could tell by the way she held her ears slightly turned, and her chin high, that she didn’t quite believe him, but there was no arguing with Rey’s stubbornness. _I also want you to practice summoning my klaive. Not right now, but when we’re human again. Summon it and banish it whenever you have free time._

_Um. Okay, but what if I can’t banish it back? Like if I’m in the store and I suddenly have this antique sword -_

_At home, Rey! I assumed you'd know that!._ She had turned her head, one paw scraping at the sand as she made a sort of whining, wheezing noise that made him lean forward in concern… until she glanced upwards and he could see the laughter dancing in her eyes. Kylo huffed irritably, but it only made her snort harder. Even her tail thumped the ground a few times in the throes of her amusement.

_Oh, what? The great Kylo Ren doesn’t laugh?_ She lowered herself suddenly on her front paws, tail flagging the air behind her, and he peered in confusion at her apparent excitement. _Come on!_

Sand flew as she darted to the side, racing circles around him, and Kylo realized he was completely out of his depth with her. He’d spent plenty of time in this form, training with Luke and his knights, and his parents had seen that he was comfortable in his movements, capable of recognizing scents and signs of plants and animals, what to avoid and how to pick up a trail. But none of them - even Luke and Leia, the children of a wild-born wolf - actually knew how to _be_ a wolf, in the truest fashion. They were humans with good camouflage, and that’s all they would ever be.

But Rey… She was ducked down in front of him again, her hind end wiggling in a way that would be suggestive to a human, but was _definitely_ _not_ in this shape. _What’s wrong with you? Too busy being a majestic beast to play?_

He rolled his eyes, heaving a sigh as he climbed to all fours, shaking sand and twigs from his pelt. _Play? You want me to… play with you? Like children?_

_There is nothing wrong with adults playing!_ Some kind of challenge came into her eyes, and he had a single second to recognize their gleaming intent before she crashed into him with all her strength, knocking him down and racing away. When he picked himself up, she was watching him over her shoulder from the beach, mouth half-open in a wolfish grin.

_Fine._ He allowed himself a low growl, muscles bunching for a mighty leap. _But you’re going to be singing a different song when I catch you._

_Hmph. You’d have a better chance chasing me on two legs!_

_We really need to train -_

_This is training. You’re teaching me magic, I’m teaching you how to be a wolf. There’s no law that says training can’t be fun! Why do you think animals play?_

He had no real answer to that, but Rey was already racing away, and he had no choice but to take off after her and hope his stamina could outlast hers.

  


Kylo stayed up late that night, scouring the internet for any shred of information on wild-born shifters and the even smaller offerings on wild-born omegas. It was shocking to him how easily Rey could slip from his control, standing up to him and even meeting him eye-to-eye. There were plenty of mediocre alphas and independent omegas out there, but Kylo was imposing even for an alpha. He had dominated Hux and Renata and even his own mother with far greater ease than he did Rey, and while it didn’t necessarily _bother_ him (actually it was a part of why he found her so arousing), he was insatiably curious by nature. Rey was a mystery, and from what he read, she was a mystery to polymorphic geneticists as a whole. Some of them doubted the existence of wild-born at all, although their alternate theories as to how toddlers came to be found wandering naked in the wild were quite bizarre. Dr. Amilyn Holdo seemed to be the closest thing to an expert on omegas, and he was in the middle of trying to get around a paywall to read her articles in the esteemed journal _Fera_ when the jangle of keys reached his ears.

He looked up over the top of his screen to see Finn opening the door very carefully, a soundly sleeping Rose and large duffle bag filling his arms. Kylo wrinkled his nose at the faint scent that reached him in the kitchen, and Finn met his gaze apologetically.

“I didn’t want to wake her up to shower,” he murmured by way of apology. He had her bundled up in sheets and his coat, and Kylo shrugged sympathetically, knowing exactly how easily an omega in heat could be reduced to a panic just by catching the wrong scent.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Finn. But we do need to talk for a moment, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, just let me get her settled -” He turned to heft his burdens up the stairs before Kylo could amend the request to ‘not right now’ and he went to the kitchen to refill his coffee while he waited for Finn.

The werepanther had bathed quickly and changed clothes before he came back, sliding into the kitchen chair across the table from Kylo almost silently enough to spook him. He grimaced as he sloshed a bit of cream on the table, wiping it up with a sleeve.

“Jesus, Finn. Make a noise or something.”

“What, did I actually sneak up on the Big Bad Wolf?” The Kylo Ren from before Rey would have been annoyed, possibly even reacted violently, but he was coming to enjoy Finn’s quick wit, and the sarcastic banter of this new pack felt far more comfortable than the toxic dynamics between him and Armitage Hux.

He favored the werecat with a self-deprecating smile. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“By anyone, do you mean Rey, too? Because I really want to see her face -”

Kylo rolled his eyes. “Rey doesn’t count,” he said absently. “She’s not people, she’s _Rey._ ”

“Oh, man.” Finn chuckled, watching the dark-haired alpha sip his coffee, trying to hide the emotions that played over his face whenever he spoke of his mate. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

“Please don’t tell her that,” he pleaded quietly.

“No, I won’t. Wouldn’t want her to get even more bossy.” He agreed. “She probably already knows, though.”

“Does she?”

“You ask her to marry you yet? Officially, like with a ring and everything?” Finn asked. Kylo sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“She doesn’t want a ring. She wants a klaive.”

Finn snorted, his dark eyes wide as he shook his head slightly. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” Kylo cleared his throat. “So, uhhh… while you guys were on leave, Rey got it into her head that we _have_ to do the catwalk.”

“ _What?!_ Kylo, listen to me -”

“I know, Finn! You think I don’t have a list of a hundred reasons I don’t want her up there? She got cornered by my mother, and…” He waved a hand, forestalling Finn’s response. “And… My mother let something slip. Something is happening at the convention. She begged Rey not to go.”

“Goddammit.” Finn’s hands made fists on the table. “Telling Rey not to do something just makes her more determined -”

“I know that, too.”

“So what’s the plan, then?”

Kylo shifted uncomfortably. This was a delicate thing to suggest, and he didn’t want to start a fight with Finn by making it seem like he was ordering him to put Rose at risk. But if Rey was determined to do it, he at least wanted one person with her, preferably a member of their pack who she’d be most inclined to listen to.

“Well…”

“Fuck, Kylo! Really?”

“How about you tell _your_ omega what Rey plans to do, and see what she says.” Rose and Rey were thick as thieves now. Finn’s chances of stopping her from following Rey into the mouth of hell were about as good as Kylo’s had been.

“ _Goddammit!”_ Finn growled, fisted hands spreading into drawn claws that dug points into the table before he managed to retract them. “Shit. Whose table is this?”

“I think it came from Renata’s. Don’t worry about it.” He gave Finn a sympathetic look. “Got you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?”

Finn cast him a miserable look as Kylo leaned back to sip his coffee. “We are so screwed.”

“Nat will be there, too. I don’t know if she’ll bring Dr. Holdo or not, but alphas have to have a companion to get in and -” He didn’t want to give words to the ugly act of repudiation, and Finn just grimaced as he waved his hand in lieu of explanation. “Anyway, she’ll find someone reliable, I’m sure.”

“That’s… slightly reassuring?”

Kylo sighed. He could vividly recall his conversation a few hours earlier with his lieutenant, still occupying Dr. Holdo’s guest room. Mostly, he recalled a lot of yelling, and cursing.

“She said it sounded like a goddamn nightmare.”

“Agreed.” Finn rose abruptly and began searching the refrigerator, coming back with an energy drink and an orange. “So, again, you’re the one in charge here, alpha. Got any ideas?”

Kylo’s jaw worked for a moment as he tried to formulate the right words, his eyes fixed blankly on his coffee. So many things could go wrong, he couldn’t stop running worst-case scenarios in his head, all of which only got even more gruesome when he tried to pick them apart. A large part of him was itching to run more, to walk the streets instead of the sand and follow the scents of criminals...

“I have a few cards left,” he sighed finally. “But I need more to go on.” He grimaced, then looked up to meet Finn’s eye briefly. “We need to arrange a sit-down with your bosses.”

“I can do that,” the other alpha assured immediately. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through the contacts with a thumb. “What should I say?”

Kylo was ready this time. He’d been steeling his nerves ever since Lando had helped defend Rey from the random assholes at the bar.

“Tell Calrissian… Ben Solo needs a favor.”

Finn glanced up, taking in the grim set of the other man’s jaw, his mouth pressed into a near-snarl and his eyes far away. He coughed, capturing Kylo’s attention, and leaned over to show him his phone. At his leader’s nod, Finn thumbed the send button.

_I was told that Ben Solo needs a favor from you._

 

_Always calling in favors, those Solos._

_I’ll be in the office at noon tomorrow._

 

_Thanks, we appreciate it._

 

_Tell Ben it’s good to hear from him._

_And he should call his mother._

 

Kylo rolled his eyes when Finn showed him the rest of the text chain, downing the rest of his coffee and climbing to his feet.

“I’m going to drive down while it’s empty and see if I can scope the perimeter,” he said from the kitchen. “I can’t sleep unless I work off some of this nervous energy.”

“I know what you mean,” Finn agreed, pushing his chair back. “Do you mind if I… I mean, do you want some backup?”

Kylo paused, studying the broad, dark-skinned young man with a startled expression as it slowly dawned on him that Finn was a powerful alpha in his own right. Maybe not as experienced, but definitely reliable. Normally, he would ask Renata or Jacen - or Phasma, before - but they weren’t home. He knew Rey would insist she could hold her own, and she was probably right, but he couldn’t focus on anything if he thought her safety might be at risk. He didn’t have to worry about another alpha like he would his mate.

“You know what, Finn? I could use another pair of eyes.”

Finn smiled, a genuine smile with a quick flash of teeth. “Okay. Great!”

“I’ll get my keys -”

“Wait. Where’s Jacen?” Finn cast a glance around the empty living room. “I don’t want to just leave Rose alone…”

“She’s not alone.” They both froze, as Kylo turned to the doorway to his bedroom and came face-to-face with Rey, eyes narrowed and arms crossed over her chest.

“Goddammit!” Finn growled, but Kylo just shook his head.

“Going somewhere…?” Her hazel eyes held his with brutal mirth. “To scope out the convention center maybe?”

He realized she had some printed pages in one hand, opposite the other holding his coat and keys. Schematics and engineering maps of the Moscone that he had been studying earlier, he realized as he took them.

“How did you know -”

“Because I know you. You’re going to worry at this ceaselessly for the next two weeks.” Rey smirked. “It took me less than a minute to get into your Google account and search for ‘convention center.’ Did you forget what I do for a living, or did you really think ‘reysolo98’ was that brilliant of a password?”

Kylo winced, running a hand through his hair and stuttering, while Finn chuckled and Rey watched him with a tender smile.

“I… uh… I didn’t expect you to be the one guessing it,” he managed lamely. She stepped forward to give him a little peck on the cheek. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Is that all you looked at? My notes on the Moscone?”

“You’re adorable. I promise I didn’t read your smutty fanfiction or poetic odes to my ass.” Rey grinned, holding out his keys and jacket.

He caught her mischievously glinting eyes and reached up to hold her cheek, his thumb pressed in a gentle warning against her throat. “I’m very displeased with you, omega.” Her breath hitched as he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers.

“I’m sorry for snooping. I won’t do it again,” she whispered. “I really didn’t look at anything else.”

“Hmm. I hope for your sake that’s true.” He peered down at her, his eyes flashing gold in the dark, and Rey met his searching gaze stubbornly. He released her with a growl. “You owe me a penance, Rey.”

“Okay. Alright, I can see that.” Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes to center herself. His mild censure had awakened her in some way, and he wished he could stay and explore those feelings at their leisure.

Finn coughed loudly behind them, and Rey stepped back from him with a resigned sigh.

“Go, I’ll take care of Rose.”

“She’s gonna need -”

Rey rolled her eyes. “I know how heat works, Finn. Go.”

She met his gaze steadily as Kylo collected his coat and keys, and the two alphas shared a brief look of understanding.

“We good?” Kylo pressed.

Finn glanced to Rey and nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”

 

 

Once she got the boys to take off for their midnight scouting, Rey settled herself on the stairwell so she could hear if Rose stirred as well as watch the door for Jacen to return. She held her hand out, eyes flashing golden, and practiced reaching _through_ the air, like fingers trailing through a pond, feeling around until she gripped hard leather. She drew the Skywalker sword with its crackling red aura and blue-jeweled hilt and flipped it idly in her hand, gaining a feel for the weapon.

She had defended herself plenty of times with improvised weapons - lead pipes, sturdy branches, rusted radiator pipes - the specialized home was not a nice place to grow up, and Unkar Plutt wasn’t any better. Rey might wield the sword without grace or finesse, but that did not make her any less dangerous. The more she thought about Luke Skywalker and his ‘cure’, or Armitage Hux and his obsession with Anakin’s cloning research, the more determined she became to protect the ones she loved.

Humans made everything so complicated, and Rey had fallen into that habit as well, before she remembered who she really was. Chasing and playing with her mate had brought back a visceral, deep connection with her inner heart, and the simple, ancient wisdom of wolves everywhere. Rey had lived alone her whole human life, before Finn and then Kylo had come along and given her a place to belong. A pack.

_Her_ pack.

_Her_ mate.

_Her_ family.

Pride, jealousy, bitterness - no personal pain was more important than loyalty. To the pack, her family and kin and mate, her devotion was simple and unfaltering. Omega she might be, but she was a fighter as well. Let their enemies underestimate her because of her designation. It would only make them easier to defeat.

The gem on the pommel of Kylo’s klaive glowed in her hand, blue like the faint light of an old television reflected on the walls.

_“Don’t be afraid, Rey.”_

She nearly jumped into her wolf form, dropping the sword and only narrowly missing her own toes. “Wha - who?”

_“I said ‘don’t be afraid.’ I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to help.”_

“But who - how?” She stared at the weapon, stuttering. “How is a sword talking?”

_“I’m Anakin Skywalker, this is my sword, and I’m reaching out from the spirit world through my mystical connection with it. If you want a more detailed explanation, you’ll have to ask someone else, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention in Haunting 101.”_

“Oh.” She picked up the sword again, gingerly, returning to her seat in the stairwell. He was definitely Kylo’s family with that acerbic wit. “How exactly are you going to help?”

_“Kylo has some fancy tricks, but you’re wild-born. You have more power than any human shifter could dream of, even my sadly misguided children. And you’re going to need it.”_

“How do you know that?” She hissed out in a loud whisper. “Do you know - can you see the future?”

_“No. Not… entirely. Too much is in flux. But I know what Luke is planning.”_ He gave her a minute for that to sink in, before continuing. _“Let me teach you. There’s no reason to fear. Luke’s ‘cure’ won’t work on you.”_

Rey stared down at the sword, unconsciously chewing her lip. Before, when she’d had time to think clearly as her heat waned, she had wondered about that very same thing. In fact, something in her knew that such a thing wasn’t really possible - the inner beast could be blocked, perhaps, held back by an influx of strong chemicals, but it would always be there, waiting for the right call…

_“You are that call, Rey. The heart of a beast calls to its like.”_

“Couldn’t Ezra do it too, then?” She murmured curiously.

_“Ezra is a beta. The gifts of the wild-born aren’t as strong with them. But an omega like you can call to anyone…”_

She nodded, still giving the sword a sideways glance and praying Rose or Jacen didn’t catch her talking to an inanimate object on the stairway at two a.m. dressed in only Kylo’s flannel shirt.

“Fine. Show me.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ahem. A hat is really not necessary -”
> 
> “Do not tell me when and where I can wear a hat, little man. I come from Oklahoma. I was issued a cowboy hat and a concealed carry permit at birth.” Arthur’s narrow blue eyes practically glazed over in fear, and Rose hid her snickering in Rey’s shoulder while Renata went on, oblivious. “The gold lining is nice, too, reminds me of old Lando's capes -”

“I am  _ not _ putting that on.” Renata leveled a glower at Leia’s short, balding stylist after taking in the vibrant yellow slip dress he had just hung on the rack. Rey sighed, and the alpha rolled her eyes away from Arthur to Rey and Rose. “Explain to me why I cannot wear my dress uniform, same as I always have to this stupid thing?”

“You’re sort of single now,” Rose pointed out. Rey’s eyes widened and she gave her head a little shake of warning. Renata crossed her arms.

“And? I’m gay and over thirty, I think that entitles me to pants and a jacket, at least.” 

“But my dear,” Arthur tried again. “With your perfect hourglass figure, a jacket would be an insult! Why would you wish to hide all these beautiful curves?”

It was true. Rey hadn’t even realized how well-proportioned the older woman’s petite frame was until Arthur had her standing on the pedestal in her bra and undershorts. Her hair was free of its standard braid, and flowed just past her shoulders, a pale wheat-blonde that contrasted against her warm dusky skin. Renata was a study in contrasts, beautiful but deadly, the platinum hair of an Icelandic goddess and the high cheekbones and bronze skin of a Native American warrior. All of which she seemed determined to hide from any casual observer. She was as baffled by her own beauty as a certain _ other _ alpha Rey knew well. No wonder they were friends.

“Let her try on what she’s comfortable with, please Arthur,” Rey begged. He was already doing them a huge favor just by helping them shop, she hated to beg for more concessions, but Renata had a right to wear what felt natural to her. “I’ve seen Leia wear suits plenty of times.”

“Mrs. Solo is not a newly-single young woman with a perfect waist…” He shrugged at Renata’s warning glare. “Fine, fine!”

He scurried off, and Kylo’s lieutenant turned to Rey. “Aren’t you going to try anything on, or is it just Tico and me suffering this torture?”

“No… I will, I just wanted to sort you guys out first,” she half-muttered. Really, she wasn’t looking forward to the experience at all, and she wanted to make sure she had the energy to devote to her packmates before she drained herself beyond capacity.

“Rey can’t focus on herself when there’s someone else who might need her,” Rose said with a fond smile. “She's like our mom, only younger than us.”

“Hmmm. It’s been a while since I was around a dominant omega.” She gave Rey a searching look. “Of course Kylo would find one to mate. That man is needy as all hell.”

Rose giggled, and even Rey gave an indulgent smile.

“I like to feel needed,” she said softly. Renata nodded sagely.

“Of course you do. You’re definitely a dominant. For fuck’s sake, Ben Solo…” She shook her head. “I don’t know how I missed it. I’ll bet fucking Leia recognized it after two seconds -” She broke off and turned as Arthur came back with a selection of suits and jackets, leaving Rey buzzing with questions while her attention was taken up by the possibilities on offer. “Is that a goddamn  _ bolo tie _ ?”

“Er… I think it’s just a suggestion, you know, the turquoise pairs well with the white jacket -” Arthur looked mortified, and Renata grinned. 

“Turquoise. My granny would be so proud.” Her eyes sparkled with some personal amusement as she examined the rest of the suit. “Fuck it. I’ll try this one. I’ve got a nice white hat that’ll match.”

“Ahem. A hat is really not necessary -”

“Do  _ not _ tell me when and where I can wear a hat, little man. I come from Oklahoma. I was issued a cowboy hat and a concealed carry permit at birth.” Arthur’s narrow blue eyes practically glazed over in fear, and Rose hid her snickering in Rey’s shoulder while Renata went on, oblivious. “The gold lining is nice, too, reminds me of old Lando's capes -”

Rey and Rose suppressed their laughter until she went off to change, the cream-and-gold combo tucked over her arm, Arthur tutting after her numbly like he’d just been party to a violent train wreck. They barely managed to compose themselves when he came back around the corner with an assistant carrying piles of gowns over her arms. 

“Now, Miss Tico… May I suggest jewel tones to start with? This emerald gown is an update on an old style by an up and coming designer I am quite fond of…” Arthur had a much more willing subject in Rose, who suffered the opposite of Renata’s problem, overwhelmed by the gorgeous dresses the short little man was delighted to suggest. She obediently followed his suggestions and tried on the proffered accessories until her arm snagged on a tag, and she nearly fainted at the neatly printed four digits.

“OH MY GOD! I shouldn’t even be touching this - I have permanent oil stains under my nails - Rey, no, I know you said not to worry about it, but…” She backed away from the dark blue confection of lace skirts and sparkling accents Arthur was holding, shaking her head. “Are those real diamonds? Please tell me they’re not -”

“Just try it on, Rose, please?” She pleaded, glancing over to where Renata stood patiently in her suit while Arthur’s assistant made adjustments. The alpha seemed to sense their distress, glancing over to give the dress and Rose a speculative look.

“If I have to behave, Tico, you’d better play along too. Blue is Finn’s favorite color, isn’t it?” Her voice was mild, but Rey caught the pleased smirk dancing in her eyes when Rose gave a little squeak at the reminder that she would be wearing her dress in attendance with her mate. She winked at Rey before casually continuing. “Amilyn has some sapphire jewelry that you could probably borrow to match.”

Rey silently mouthed a ‘thank you’ after Rose agreed to go back into the changing room, and she gave a surreptitious nod. Once the assistant was done with her measurements, she came to peruse the rack Arthur had set aside for Rey, her mouth still set in a faint smile.

“Nat, what do you mean by ‘dominant omega?’ I’ve never heard anyone called that before.” She caught the other woman’s eye briefly before she looked back down at the plastic-covered gowns, Anakin’s peculiar words from the night before repeated in her mind.  _ An omega like you... _

“It’s an archaic phrase. Most people don’t make the distinction anymore, but I was raised in less civilized parts...” She smiled ruefully, but Rey noted a glimmer of old pain in her green eyes. “It just means an omega with leadership qualities and more commanding pack dynamics… It’s not always black and white, people are different, but, there’s a few definite tells...”

She was giving Rey a sort of mischievous smile. “An omega dominant will not take orders from anyone but their own alpha. And they can even stare him down on occasion. So if I - or Finn, I guess - were to give you an alpha command it ought to shake right off like water from a duck’s back.”

“I have stared Kylo down before,” Rey said, not noticing the surprise on Renata’s face. “And… I’ve never had a problem with alpha commands.” She frowned slightly. “Finn stared me down once, but I deserved it, so…”

She looked up and gasped as the other woman’s green eyes flashed reflectively in the offset lighting, slit-pupiled and intense. 

_ “Kneel, omega.” _

A moment passed where Rey just stared and Renata stared back, and then the blonde woman gave a throaty laugh, nodding her concession. “Yeah, I thought so.”

“Did you just… try to command me?”

Kylo Ren’s lieutenant looked slightly injured. “You didn’t feel a damn thing, did you?”

Rey shrugged, shaking her head in a mix of curiosity and amusement. A dominant omega. She wondered if it were something to do with her origins, as Anakin seemed to imply, or just her natural stubbornness that flew in the face of traditional gender roles. “Not really, no.”

“Are you ready to begin, Miss Kenobi?” Arthur interrupted, deftly wedging his short, squat self between them to get at the clothing rack. “Hmmm. Mr. Ren has always favored dark colors, but perhaps a deep red…”

He selected a few that Rey agreed to try, but something caught her eyes just as she was turning, and she looked back at the end of the aisle, where a silvery gown with black lace and a floor-length train hung inconspicuously amid other light-colored dresses. Wedding dresses, she realized.

“Miss Kenobi?”

“Oh, right, sorry! Be right back!” She tore her eyes away, hurrying off towards the changing rooms. Renata and Rose watched her go, exchanging a puzzled frown. Then the dark-haired girl caught the aisle where Rey’s gaze had lingered, and she nudged Renata until she glanced over as well.

“Arthur,” Renata said softly to catch the stylist’s attention. “That dress there… Could you put it on hold for a while?”

His little eyes danced back and forth, between the dress and the changing rooms where Rey had disappeared, and then he gave a little trill of excitement and clapped his hands.

“Oh, yes, Ms. Argent. How soon do you think?”

“Soon,” Rose said. “Very soon, if Kylo gets his way.”

“Oh my. Well. Miss Kenobi has my card, of course.”

“Your discretion would be appreciated,” Renata said quickly, eyes glinting. “ _ Very _ appreciated.”

“Of course, of course.”

  
  
  


Rey had almost forgotten about the other half of their shopping day when they finally made it to the car with all three outfits neatly zipped up in their protective bags, the shop clerk insisting that he would settle up with Leia despite Rey and Renata’s vehement arguments.

“Now then, this bit is somewhat more discrete, so I will be handing you off to a friend, if you don’t mind,” Arthur informed them after giving instructions to the driver. “I assure you, she’s very trustworthy.”

“Umm…” Rey started, while Rose’s eyes widened in fear.

“Relax, ladies.” Renata said with a little bow. “You have your own personal alpha escort.”

“Er. Renata.” Rose’s cheeks were burning. “I don’t mean to be offensive, but um. I’m not sure it’s…”

“If you’re not comfortable with  _ me _ seeing you, how are you going to strut down a stage in front a couple hundred thirsty shifters and assorted pairs of eyes?”

Rey took a deep breath, squeezed Rose’s hand in hers, and gave both Arthur and Renata her best warm smile. “Thank you, both of you. I’m sure your friend will be helpful, and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Arthur.”

He nodded, shutting the car door for them, and Rey heaved a sigh, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose against an oncoming headache.

“I have orders to send pictures,” Renata informed them, holding up a brand new iPhone. “Kylo bought me a pretty new gift so I can be part of the next generation.”

“Pictures?” 

“Your nosey mates want veto power.”

“Oh. Right, sure. Okay.” Rose hid her face in Rey’s sleeve, and Renata quirked a brow in concern. “Just kill me now, okay?”

“Rose, you don’t have to do this -” She repeated for the ten thousandth time. Her sweet, stubborn best friend gripped her wrist and shook her head, still hiding her face.

“Finn said I could wear a mask. Some people do.”

“It’s usually very dark, anyway,” Renata reassured them. “You’ll get a number so there’s no names involved. Of course, everyone knows everyone in this community, but they do attempt to keep it anonymous at first.”

Rey shook her head. She didn’t feel much better than Rose about parading about in some slutty garbage for strangers to offer Kylo an ungodly amount of money to have sex with her, but a darkened room full of sexual tension and omegas displaying a lot of open skin?  _ That _ sounded like a perfect place to sneak in one or two people with a handful of easily-concealed syringes filled with Skywalker's "cure."

“Who usually goes to this thing, Renata? Anyone we know?”

“Oh, sure. Lando and Elle are always there, of course. Sometimes Ahsoka shows up, but she’s very picky for a beta. Hux was always there, I suppose a few of his old frat buddies will still show up. Canady, the old bear. He’s gross. Tarkin’s boys, trust-fund brats. Watch out for them, they’re handsy.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Alphas can’t enter without a date, so that keeps away some of the younger, less-restrained crowd. Some of Leia’s people will be there, Kaydel probably if she can get a date. Larma D’acy, although I don’t know why she comes, unless it’s just to sit back and judge everyone else. I’ll be there, if I can get a date… Amilyn’s open to it, but...” She sighed. “I hope they don’t, but it’s possible Innara and Ishida will come and I don’t want to cause a scene. I might just drag Jacen along. Confuse everyone so they leave me the fuck alone.”

“Oh, Nat… I’m sorry -” Rose finally peeked out from hiding her face, her concern overriding her social discomfort. “We’ll keep her away from you, won’t we, Rey?”

“Yes.” She met Renata’s conflicted gaze. “Regardless of who’s at fault, she’s been an absolute cunt, and we don’t have time for drama with all the other threats.”

“Thank you,” the alpha replied rather hoarsely. She turned her head to look out the window, but Rey could scent the saltiness of tears in the air. “We’re here.”   
  


_ Absolutely not! _

_ Everything is covered. And red’s your favorite color. _

_ I said no!!!!! _

Rey looked at the selection of pictures on her phone, trying to decide which to send next. They had simply tried on everything and taken pictures as quickly as possible, both Rey and Rose eager to get out of the ensembles. Now they were simply sitting on the bench in the changing room, looking through the pictures Renata had taken from her phone and Rey’s and sending them to the boys. So far the best response they’d gotten was a ‘maybe’ from Finn.

Renata rolled her eyes at the entire situation, only commenting to complain about the things Innara wore, and the even more risque get-ups she’d seen in the past.

“Oh, come on. These are all perfectly fine. Like you said, everything’s covered!” She groaned as Rey showed her Kylo’s most recent response. “Hey, Lyra! Do you have any of those see-through robes? Like with the feathers or whatever?”

Arthur’s friend chuckled, ducking back in to check on them. “No dice with the mates?”

“Not really.”

“Eh, well. Alphas are alphas. Present company excluded, obviously.” She winked at Renata. “I’ll be right back.”

Of course, then they had to put the things back on, along with the sheer chiffon and lace cover-ups that did absolutely nothing but get in the way of the ridiculous heels Lyra had insisted on. Rey was almost certain she was going to break her ankle just practicing walking in the things, but at least they were easy to slip off if anything happened. 

 

By the time Kylo, and Finn, were satisfied with their choices, it was growing dark outside and Renata herded them into the car like a mother hen.

“I don’t like this neighborhood, especially after dark,” she explained. “Also I’m starving.”

“Ugh, I’m too tired to be hungry,” Rose complained. Renata cast her green eyes on Rey with a grin, knowing she was always ready to eat.

“What do you think, little one?”

“Home,” Rey said firmly. “Pajamas and pizza and a movie.”

“You’re staying,” Rose interjected with a glare at Renata. “Don’t leave us alone with our jealous mates, please. I’m too tired to perform  _ and _ too tired to resist.”

“Oh, don’t tell me Finn’s that kind of alpha -”

“You don’t know him that way, Rey,” Rose shook her head. “Besides you’re not… I mean, no offense, but you’re not very… omega.”

“I’m not offended. Renata said the same thing earlier.” She frowned. “But, Rose… Just because you’re his mate doesn’t mean you have to do everything he wants at all times… If that’s how Finn’s treating you, I’ll tear him apart, I swear -”

“Nonono… Please let’s not argue,” Rose begged. “I’m fine, it’s okay, I like it. Finn’s not taking advantage of me, believe me.”

Rey frowned, noting Renata’s pensive gaze as Rose tugged on her arm, begging her to relax and not bring anything up with Finn.

“Kylo doesn’t command you?” She asked finally, in a strangely quiet voice.

“What do you mean? I mean he… I mostly do what he wants, but…” She felt her cheeks flush, not quite sure she was ready to give out the details of their sex life to Rose and Renata.

“Yeah, but he commands you, right? ‘Turn around, omega,’ ‘Lie down, omega,’ ‘on your knees,’ - you know?” Rose explained. “You just do what they want unless they smell fear or pain and back off… The  _ decent _ ones anyway.”

Rey flushed, missing the dark look Renata was giving Rose, promising a world of hurt for whatever alpha had been  _indecent_. “Well... he  _ says _ those things, yes. And I do what he asks, most of the time, unless he’s being a prick about it, but it’s not… He doesn’t  _ command _ me, like alpha commands. That would just piss me off.” 

Rose gaped. Renata shook her head, a faint smirk on her pale lips. Rey glanced between them in confusion. “What?”

“You’re not serious… He doesn’t use his commands? Like at all?” Rose was giving her an incredulous look as she pursed her lips in a frown. “ _ He asks? _ ”

“I mean… sometimes in my heat when I get… anxious or panicky, he breaks out the alpha voice and stares me down, but not just like… regular sex.” She blinked up at them both, trying not to imagine the _other_ details of their heat sex and what her friends would make of them. “Is that not… Not normal?”

“No, Rey. Most omegas bend easily to our will. That’s the whole point. It's a chain of command - the alpha needs complete obedience to protect, and the rest of the pack will follow the omega -"

“It’s not just that,” Rose flushed as she glanced over to Renata and back, staring into her lap. “We… most people I know, anyway, go into this sort of submissive trance… Where you just kind of… let go. You don’t have to think, you just - it’s nice, you know -” 

“Oh. Yes.” Rey shook herself before she could fall into the memory of her first heat, when she’d been so scared and reluctant and stubborn, but needing that moment of letting go, and how it felt when Kylo  _ finally _ managed to get her there. Her cheeks were probably scarlet, and the inside of the car was suddenly far too confined. 

“Yeah,” she coughed. “Um. We do that, but… It’s hard for me. I don’t - I don’t submit easily. It’s complicated. But Kylo always knows how to - You know what? Can we just not talk about this?”

“Yes, please,” Rose echoed. 

“Absolutely.” Renata flashed her a tight smile, looking distinctly restless as she fished through her pockets for a packet of nicotine gum and shoved a piece in her mouth. “I apologize if I’ve made either of you girls uncomfortable. I have no interest in your private lives, I’m just old and far less easily embarrassed.”

She chewed her gum for a minute while Rey rolled down the window slightly and Rose pulled a bottle of scented lotion from her purse, all three of them purposely seeking relief from any stray scents in the small space.

“So ah… Rey. Since you had such a nice chat with Her Highness, I think it’s time you asked about Han.” She pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket, hiding her eyes despite the encroaching night. “If you want answers to all the questions I’m sure you’re dying to ask about willful and independent omegas - ask the woman who was mated to one for twenty-some years. You never quite knew who was in charge with them. Or if they were even on the same page.”

“Oh. ” Of course, that’s what they’d all been telling her, hadn’t they? Kylo in his roundabout way, talking about his father. Leia at their rather combative lunch. Anakin’s ghost when he offered to teach her the powers of the wild-born. Only Renata had given it specific wording, something from her own painful childhood, an old title that had fallen out of use.

“She’s right,” Rose said suddenly, giving Rey an appraising look. “We assume Kylo’s in charge because he’s the alpha, but… Rey really is our den mother,” she repeated with a final shrug. “I guess it makes sense that she’s not as submissive. You know what they say about a mother and her cubs.”

“A female protecting her family is by far the most dangerous type of predator to come across in the wild,” Renata agreed. “I’ve encountered quite a few. Even rabbits can be vicious, violent creatures.” She was giving Rey a thoughtful look, the same quiet intensity from before that had startled her. “There’s -”

They were cut off suddenly by the violent jerking of the small limo, wheels screeching against pavement amid shrieks of panic. Rey had a single moment to react, sinking down into her seat away from the door and windows, while Renata leapt forward, flinging her body protectively over the other two, before the crash of metal and sickening thud of bodies colliding with hard surfaces filled her ears, and the interior lights flickered out, engulfing them all in darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not obvious, Renata is playing up the stereotypes on purpose for her own amusement. Probably the accent, too, just to horrify Leia's stylist even more.
> 
> Also I'm from Oklahoma and have been known to rock cowboy hats and fancy suits on ocassion.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’ve sold yourself to the first alpha you met! You could have been so much more - just like Anakin!” Rey could hear the screech of tires and distant sirens coming closer, as Luke turned away with a haggard frown. “Instead you’re a slave, just like him. No wonder he’s helping you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW - violence, Luke Skywalker is NOT nice.

“Well, firstly, we’re gonna need reinforcements.” Kylo closed the tabs he had open about omegas and pulled up schematics from the convention center on his tablet, spinning the screen so Finn and the others could see it too. “This is the first floor, where the main event will be. It’ll mostly be booths and vendors and shit -”

“I know, I’ve been there. It’s chaos.  _ Fun _ chaos, usually.” Lando frowned. “How did you even get these maps?”

“It’s amazing what people will tell you over the phone if you know how to ask,” Kylo grinned. “And it’s ridiculous how many places use ‘password1’ or the name of their company. Ninety percent of what I do is just knowing who to call.”

“Damn, man. That’s terrifying.” Kylo shrugged, as Finn shook his head. “Okay, so the first day is just the main floor and these side rooms for panels -”

“Ahsoka and Holdo’s panel will probably draw the biggest crowd.” Elle cut in smoothly. “I’ve already talked to them both, I think we can trust they’ll keep their territory safe. Renata will be at the door, just in case.” Finn nodded and she continued. “Then of course, there’s the concert after hours -”

“Yeah, The Resistance, Rose loves them. We’ll be there for that, I’m sure they’ve got their own security as well.” He sighed, idly peeling the label from his beer. “No offense, guys, but look - we have no idea what we’re up against here. We know about the skin vax, but what if they just gas the whole place? What… what are the signs? Should we be trying to get oxygen masks or… I mean… I don’t know. We need more information.”

“We know where to get it.” Kylo sighed. He shared a somber look with Lando. “I know, anyway. Right now, let’s focus on making sure we’ve got people on the floor at every crucial event. As for oxygen masks...” He gestured where the map gave a detailed, color-coded engineering plan. “Do you think Rose could rig up some way to alert us if anything’s amiss? She’s small enough to get in and out through a cracked door without drawing too much attention -”

“It would be quite simple to repurpose an air quality inspector and fit it over one of these exit vents,” Elle pursed her glittery golden lips thoughtfully. Kylo couldn’t help but notice they matched the dark gold acrylic nails she’d had redone after breaking into totem form to defend Rey. She could be a bit over the top, but he knew underneath the glitter and false eyelashes, Lando’s mate had a shiny steel spine, honed from years of being marginalized as a transgendered, mixed-race omega... and holding down rough bar crowds full of shifters in the heart of San Francisco. “I doubt anyone will notice a stray cat wandering around the staff exits, but I can stay close and make sure she gets in and out safely.”

“Yeah. I’ll bet she can do it.” Finn smiled with pride, confident in his brilliant and capable omega. “And I appreciate you looking out for her.” Elle gave him a brief smile. “Maybe we can hide extra oxygen masks in the booths somehow?”

“I’m sure I can talk a few vendors into that,” Lando said easily. He tilted his head towards Kylo, dark eyes searching. “What exactly are we looking for besides psychos with needles and mysterious fumes?”

“Luke Skywalker,” Kylo said firmly, eyes widening at Lando’s grunt of surprise. “I have a feeling he’ll want to see the results of his work first-hand. He has a couple flunkies that I’d assume are still working with him, although I don’t know for sure - it’s been three years since we killed Snoke.”

“It’s been even longer since I’ve seen Luke,” Lando mused. “I still can’t believe he’s doing this. We were never on good terms after I… Well, I did some things I’m not proud of, but Han and Leia were gracious enough to forgive me. Luke though….”

Kylo pulled up pictures of the most prominent scientists in Luke’s labs, a white-haired man he remembered from occasional family gatherings, Wedge Antilles, and a younger, red-haired woman he’d never personally met but knew from correspondence.

“Wedge has been Luke’s best friend since high school,” he explained. “And Mara Jade was sharing his bed when I last heard from him. Wedge is a beta, a wolf like Luke, but Mara’s a fox. Ahsoka and Renata have been on her tail half a dozen times, but she’s good at disappearing.”

“Ah, Mara Jade…” Lando’s smile and tone were faintly obscene, and Elle cast him a disgusted look. “Such a beautiful woman -”

“Only if you’re speaking of her looks,” his mate interrupted sharply. “Under the skin she’s a cold-hearted, snobby little whore.”

Finn and Kylo shared a look, both surprised at Elle’s vicious words. 

“You’ve met her?” Kylo asked.

“Several times,” Lando confirmed.

“Unfortunately,” Elle added. “She was Anakin’s bodyguard when he was working for the Russians, then she took up with Luke. Leia hated it.”

“So that’s why he left the pack,” Kylo said thoughtfully. “Leia always said it was just a difference of opinions…”

“Leia?”

He sighed at Lando’s sharp look. “My mother. Whatever.”

“You sound like a moody teenager,” Elle quipped. “She’s not that bad.”

“She arranged to have us hunted by Hellhounds!” Kylo fumed. “And deliberately misled Jacen to think I supported Hux’s necromancy -”

“It was just one Hellhound,” Finn pointed out, wincing as his pack leader turned his wrath-filled gaze towards him.

“Are you on her side now?”

“Ben,” Lando said coolly, laying a hand on the younger man’s arm. “Relax. We’re all on the same side now.”

“My mother is  _ not _ on our side. You know she’s protecting Luke!”

“I do believe we are losing track of this conversation -” Elle began, but the sound of rapid, panicked knocking on the back door cut her off. 

Kylo loped around the corner, one step ahead of Finn, but as soon as he reached the outside door, he caught sight of who it was through the glass and stepped back. Finn opened it, throwing his arms wide to take in a naked, trembling and scuffed up Rose. Blood and grit stained her face and trails of crumbled asphalt and dirt streaked her body, her hair a wild mess. She sobbed into Finn’s shoulder, nimble fingers digging in with frantic strength.

“Rose - what - What happened?” Finn’s hands swiped over her body, checking for injuries before he hugged her close, and she buried her face in his shoulder to cry. “Shhh… It’s okay, babe, you’re safe, I’ve got you…”

Without a word, Elle removed her long embroidered jacket and draped it over the sobbing woman’s shoulders, as Finn did his best to stroke her hair and soothe her enough to talk. Her eyes found Kylo’s over Finn’s broad shoulder.

“The limo turned over -” She gasped. “Some shifter gang shot the driver. Northerners - seals or orca or something. Rey and Nat -”

Kylo was already moving, his focus suddenly singled down in a narrow, color-limited canine view. Lando was right behind him, Finn joining them as they ran to his sleek Hyundai parked outside on the street.

“Finn, you should stay with Rose,” Kylo said almost absently. But the werecat shook his head.

“She told me to go with you. Demanded it, actually.” He shrugged, clearly unhappy at leaving even as he climbed into the passenger seat. Lando leaned forward from behind them.

“Elle will take care of her. You know how fast the glitter flies when she’s on the warpath.” He reassured Finn. “Besides, I have a feeling we’re gonna need all the backup we can get.”

“Did she tell you where we’re going?” Kylo hissed. Finn nodded.

“It’s not far.”

  
  


Rey swung the silver-etched klaive in a controlled twirl, adjusting her grip as she became more accustomed to the weight. Renata’s solid weight brushed against her back, her deadly gaze and trusted handgun focused on the leader of their ambushers.

“I shoot to kill,” the alpha growled, her voice filled with gravel. “This is the only warning you’ll get.”

There were five of them, and they must have gotten bad information, because they seemed to think this gave them the upper hand. Rey grimly set her sights on the two targets before her, trusting Renata to close with the leader if they refused to back down. She shifted her eyes to make out more detail in the shadow of the streetlights. They were some sort of seafaring pack, covered in ritual tattoos with bone jewelry piercing septums and lips and other places that looked extremely painful. One was armed with a silver-edged knife, the other a kind of club spiked with shark teeth.  _ Seriously, only in California would these cretins be wandering around unnoticed in public. _

She was sure the appearance was supposed to be intimidating, the obvious conclusion being these were shapeshifters with little regard for human society or conventional norms. But Rey grew up with the roughest of orphaned creatures, and had plenty of experience later with the worthless creeps who lurked around Unkar’s getting drunk and handsy. She wasn’t afraid, and from Renata’s scent, she detected only intense focus with a dangerous edge of cold fury.

“Fire at your leisure, kitten,” she heard the leader taunt. “We have thick hide -”

The werecat had planted her feet, her body bracing slightly against Rey’s the moment the man began speaking. She fired before he had time to register her movements, and fell to the ground already expired. Rey didn’t dare turn to look, but she heard his mates cursing and shouting, and smelled the acrid smoke of burned fat.

“No one has a thick enough hide for incendiaries to the skull,” the assassin drawled, her accent slipping out. “I dunno who hired y’all for this job, but someone didn’t do the assigned homework. Killing people is what I do for a living. Used to do. Anyway, I’m damned good at it.”

Despite her disinterested tone, Rey had spent enough time around Renata in the last few weeks to garner a few grisly details about her experience and training. The alpha’s words were not a brag, they were a warning and a statement of fact. She was being generous, giving them time to run away after the loss of their leader, and anyone with any sense would have. Rey eyed her opponents in the few spare moments while Renata was speaking, hoping they would take the out. She was not in the least surprised when another shot rang out from behind her, although she noted the youngster with the knife visibly flinched.

“What the fu -” Another voice was quickly silenced by a second gunshot, followed by cursing. Either he’d moved, or Renata was purposely aiming to main, possibly uncomfortable with slaughtering a third person in a single day. Rey sensed her shifting focus, but the two before her had begun to move already, the larger man with the club and spiked purple mohawk launching himself in an attempt to knock her to the ground. 

She side-stepped quickly, leaving him stumbling directly into Renata’s claws, and closed with the knife-wielder. This close, she could smell the ocean on the young man, a teenager, really. Rey could tell from his scent he had just recently presented. 

“ _ Stand down, omega _ .” 

She grinned, bringing the Skywalker klaive down to grind against his knife.  _ Cocky little bastard, aren’t you? _

He blinked at her, eyes on the place where their weapons met just above of his head, lips working as he tried to figure out why his infallible alpha command hadn’t worked. She took advantage of his surprise to bring her knee directly into his groin and he howled, falling back to clutch his jewels pathetically.

“Rey!” Renata’s voice demanded her attention, and she turned just in time to parry a heavy over-hand blow from the mohawked man, her klaive slicing halfway through his weapon before either of them could pull away. With a gleeful shout, he gave a hard yank, lifting Rey up as she clung to the sword and flinging her and her weapon to the side.

She barely had time to register what happened before the pavement rose up to meet her face, and another gunshot rang out over her head. For a moment, Rey lie where she was, feeling her body, running a hand over the side of her head where a bruise was rapidly forming just above her right eye. Anakin’s sword was still in her hand, buried in the shark-tooth club, and she climbed to her feet to try and separate them, shoving her foot against the cured wood and pulling with all her strength.

“NOT ON MY WATCH YOU GAP-TOOTHED SEA MONSTERS!”

Renata’s voice was loud in her ear as the alpha crashed into her, knocking Rey back to the ground and sending her recovered weapon flying from her grasp. Ears ringing with the impact, she stilled as the other woman’s body went limp against her, a low, agonized gasp breaking from her lips.

Her instincts kicked in, eyes and nose and ears compiling the scene, and Rey rose, trembling only slightly, with Renata’s gun clenched in both hands. She was focused on the mohawked vermin and his scrappy teenage mate, but the image of Kylo’s lieutenant, limp and motionless with a tiny syringe protruding from her neck seared itself into her mind’s eye. The alpha’s compact body trembled in pain, and Rey couldn’t imagine the amount of hurt it would take to get through to Renata’s damaged senses.

She could smell actual fear in Renata’s scent, and it drove her fury as she fired without hesitation, twice to stop the burly man, once again at the younger one.  _ My pack. _ She was not as a good a shot, the gun recoiled more than she expected, and she wasn’t sure if either opponent was actually down for good, but they were both down and she could smell their burning flesh and the swelling scent of fear and pain.  _ Good. Suffer, you vile pieces of garbage! _

Panting, sobbing and exhausted, Rey dropped to the pavement at Renata’s side, gently brushing sweaty, pale strands of hair from her proud features as she felt for a pulse. 

“Please - please be okay,” she begged. 

Her pulse was too fast, but at least it was there, and she sagged in relief. Renata was struggling, unconscious but twitching, whimpering and tossing her head. Her scent flickered wildly - fear and pain and rage pouring out in waves - and Rey’s fingers found the hateful little needle and yanked it away. She almost threw it down the ditch beside the road, before she thought better of it. Kylo was a student of Luke’s at one point. Maybe… maybe he could come up with an antidote, if he had the poison.

Or maybe… She cast around, looking for the Skywalker klaive, recalling Anakin’s lesson last night.  _ The beast is never really gone… That’s impossible. You just need to wake it up… _

Renata groaned, a low, anguished sound, and Rey found her hand and grasped it between both of hers.

“You’re going to be okay,” she whispered, pressing her forehead to the lifeless curl of the werecat’s calloused fingers. “I believe that.”

“You really are naive, aren’t you?”

Fear curled inside her at the voice, her spine straightening instinctively as she looked up to find the source.

Luke Skywalker stood down the road, beside the crunched door of the ambushers’ SUV. He was covered in a hooded cloak, long and heavy enough to cover the unclothed body beneath. She could sense he had just shifted, and she scowled, raking her gaze over his worn face as he shrugged off his hood.

“I thought you’d have ‘cured’ yourself, since you hate our existence so much,” she snarled. “Or are you as much of a hypocrite as your sister?”

“Careful, Rey. That’s no way to talk about your employer.” He prowled closer, halting at the sound of an engine roaring up from behind her. His gray-blue eyes, so different from his sister and nephew, narrowed sharply. “I thought we’d have more time to talk. I  _ am _ sorry about thi-”

Rey stood, the Skywalker klaive coming to her call as she held out her hand instinctively towards it. She took a step, positioning herself in front of Renata, the silver of the blade glinting brightly in the highway lights.

“What are you doing here? What purpose can there be in forcing your poison on an unwilling victim?” She did her best to banish the tears in her eyes, but her voice trembled with emotion. It was awful - truly awful, what he had done to her friend, her packmate,  _ her sister _ \- and Rey’s heart filled with righteous fury as she advanced on him. “Answer me!”

Luke Skywalker backed away, a tiny wave of fear-scent reaching her from him. He pulled his hood up, a mirthless smile twisting beneath his scruffy beard.

“A wild-born omega. Truly exquisite.” He gave a regretful sigh. “If only Leia knew, if I had gotten to you first...”

“What -” She glared indignantly. What would he have done if Leia turned her over to him before she met Kylo? She felt nausea rising at the thought. “No, I don’t want to know. You’re a fool and a coward -”

“You have no idea, Rey. You think Ben is the right one here? You don’t know half of what I know. What he’s done!” He glanced behind her, at the twitching, whimpering form of Renata. “She deserves every ounce of suffering! Do you know how many people she’s killed? All the blood on their hands - your precious  _ alphas _ ! You think they’re strong? They’re rabid beasts! Give them a single second of disobedience and they’ll have your throat so fast you won’t even have time to apologize!”

“I’ve disobeyed Kylo plenty of times,” she shook her head in frustration. “Look at me! I’m the one defending Renata with  _ your father _ ’ _ s _ weapon! And your stupid ‘cure’ isn’t permanent! Anakin showed me, I can reverse it. You can suppress the beast within, but you can’t banish it entirely!”

Those wild gray eyes widened, and Rey caught the look of surprise that was quickly buried in a spiteful snarl.

“You’ve sold yourself to the first alpha you met! You could have been so much more - just like Anakin!” Rey could hear the screech of tires and distant sirens coming closer, as Luke turned away with a haggard frown. “Instead you’re a slave, just like him. No wonder he’s helping you.”

He turned his back, and there was a shimmer in the air like a pocket of heat radiating from the pavement, then Luke disappeared, similar to the way Kylo’s klaive disappeared when banished to the aether. Rey stared at the space even after all traces of the man were gone, a vicious snarl curling her lips.

“Rey! Rey, are you alright?” She turned just as Kylo reached her, stumbling into his arms and soaking in the comfort of his warmth, his scent, the soothing presence of her alpha. He was as much hers as she was his, regardless of Luke’s attempt to twist the complicated give and take of the omega-alpha bond. 

“You’re bleeding!” Kylo’s hands gently probed her forehead, above her eye, and another long scrape across her upper arm that she hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m alright,” she said firmly, but she let him keep his hold on her hand as they walked back to where Finn and Lando knelt beside Renata. Finn’s eyes searched hers, frantic and shocked.

“What happened?”

Rey sniffed, tears reaching her eyes again. “We were ambushed. They… they meant to hit me with it.” She reached in her pocket, withdrawing the syringe and holding it out to Kylo. He took it, snapping the needle off for safety, fury darkening his hawkish features.

They all looked down to where Renata jerked and hissed in pain, sweat beading across her light bronze skin. Finn reached out to lift her, but Kylo stepped forward quickly after giving Rey’s hand a brief, reassuring squeeze.

“I’ll take her, Finn.”

“Ben?” Lando stood at the driver’s side, eyebrows raised in inquiry. With a slight grimace of disgust, Kylo nodded.

“You know where to go,” he said cryptically. Apparently this meant something to Lando, who slid in behind the wheel as Kylo carefully maneuvered himself and his burden into the backseat, Rey joining him on the other side. 

Finn was left to take the passenger seat, eyeing the wreckage and fallen bodies on the highway.

“Uhh… Are we just gonna…?” He gestured, encompassing the whole scene, and Lando shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. The authorities will figure it out.” He backed the car up, turning them around. “And when they do, this is the last place any of us want to be,” he added with a wink.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holdo gave her a careful, measuring look. “How old are you?”
> 
> “Twenty,” Rey grinned at her startled response. “But I’m wild-born so… I’ve always been a bit wise for my age.”
> 
> “Hmm. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in any research projects? There’s not a lot of data on wild-born -” She shook herself, still smiled, and got to her feet. “Now’s not the time. Just promise me you’ll think about it, please?”

 

“She’s stable and awake.”

Rey leapt up from where she had been lying, resting her head in Kylo’s lap for the past two hours while they waited in anxious silence for Dr. Holdo and her staff to assess Renata. The other woman gave Rey a tired, faint smile, but her expression was pained, and Rey could scent her anxiety and sorrow.

“Amilyn?” Leia was on her feet, too, crossing the small waiting area to reach out to her friend, guiding her gently to a chair. “Just tell us, bad news first.”

Kylo came to stand behind Rey, quietly taking her hand and pulling her into his embrace and resting his chin over her shoulder. He had been mostly silent during their long wait, sipping the coffee Leia brought and stroking Rey’s hair like she was a cat curled up in his lap, but she knew he was worried. Tension filled his every action, his expression tight and his hands trembled despite his death-grip on his emotions.

Amilyn Holdo’s wide blue eyes took them in, along with Leia and Lando beside them, and she swallowed, squeezing Leia’s hand.

“I don’t even know where to start. The… injection... was meant to target canines so the good news is, her bloodwork came back normal. She’s still a lynx and an alpha by blood, but… Skywalker’s formula also contains a dangerous dose of suppressants and beta-blockers.” She glanced from Leia to Rey, but her gaze seemed to linger on Kylo, whose grip was starting to become uncomfortable as he nodded in understanding.

“Which suppressants? What kind of beta-blockers?” Kylo demanded immediately, before the weary omega could explain just what kind of damage those drugs might have done. She frowned at him, one hand coming up to rub her temple.

“Canine suppressants - Lupex, Romulin -” Kylo gave a horrified start, letting go of Rey to turn around, and Rey had to fight to concentrate against the flood of rage pouring off of him. Amilyn looked equally uncomfortable at the onslaught of alpha distress, and she went to sit beside her, hoping to be a more calming presence than Kylo Ren and his mother, who radiated a near-equal but slightly better-controlled fury.

“I’m sorry, what does… Why would canine suppressants hurt her? And what’s a beta-blocker?”

“Cats have a very delicate immune system,” the doctor in her seemed to take over as she explained, her focus shifted to Rey. “Wolves, on the other hand require a much stronger, broad-spectrum hormone suppressant. Even an accidental slip can render a more delicate shifter sterile, or cause a harmful elevation in white blood cells, high fevers can leave the patient blind or deaf, it can permanently disrupt the heat/rut mechanism… I’ve seen patients stuck on sedatives for life, in a permanent heat or chemically castrated… There’s no way to tell, really until a hormone reaction is triggered….”

“Beta-blockers lower blood pressure and disrupt the fight-or-flight mechanism,” Kylo explained in a low voice, still facing the wall. “For an alpha, too much can be deadly, our systems are geared to fight so we have naturally higher adrenaline - we _need_ it, actually - otherwise -”

“Disrupts higher brain functions,” Leia supplied. “Dementia, depression, memory loss…” She waved a hand irritably at her friend and son, giving her similar surprised looks. “We are in the _Breha Organa Center for Polymorphic Research_. Do you think I just gave thirty million dollars to build a hospital without at least attending the free lectures?”

“You said she’s awake?” Kylo looked to Dr. Holdo again, who nodded. “Does she know -?”

“Kylo, it’s Renata. Of course she knows.” The omega gave a long-suffering sigh. “She’s been asking for you. Rey, too, and Rose. I don’t think she’ll believe you’re both safe until she gets her eyes on you.”

 

Rey’s eyes followed Kylo into the room, but she stayed for a moment, sensing Amilyn might need more than just a brief moment of hand-holding. Lando seemed to understand too, stepping in to suggest Leia help him acquire more coffee and give Kylo a moment alone with his lieutenant.

Once the waiting room was free of alphas, Rey took Dr. Holdo’s hand again, drawing her attention so she could look - really look - at the well of emotions swimming in her tired eyes.

“Are you okay, Doctor?”

“Please call me Amilyn.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between long, shaky fingers. “I’m alright, Rey. It’s… It’s difficult to see her like this, but I’m not sure… I just want to comfort her. Just stupid omega instincts, I know, but...”

Rey nodded, glad she had taken the time to check. Of course, Renata wasn’t her _mate_ , but they were living together and single and they’d had that connection before. Anyone would struggle with such an awkward situation, and with all the biology pushing her to help, to comfort, to tend…

“I think it would be okay for you to hold her.” She smiled at the widening of the older woman’s eyes. “I know you’re worried about boundaries, but… It’s not like it can go anywhere dangerous in a hospital. And it’s Nat - you’ll know if she doesn’t want it.”

Holdo gave her a careful, measuring look. “How old are you?”

“Twenty,” Rey grinned at her startled response. “But I’m wild-born so… I’ve always been a bit wise for my age.”

“Hmm. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in any research projects? There’s not a lot of data on wild-born -” She shook herself, still smiled, and got to her feet. “Now’s not the time. Just promise me you’ll think about it, please?”

Rey shrugged. “Kylo won’t like it.”

“Ahhh… Will he stop you?” Those blue eyes danced with a hint of amusement, and Rey grinned.

“Of course not!”

  


“You brought coffee!” Nat’s eyes sparkled as Kylo set the venti disposable cup on the little tray over her bed, finding a space for it amid print-outs of the convention center’s engineering rooms and her battered, combat-shielded old laptop.

“I didn’t know you still had that thing,” he smirked at the computer. “Are you still using AOL, too?”

“Shut it, you,” Rey grinned as she shut the door behind them, giving Renata a wink. “I set it up for her. Well, Rose and I set it up, I’m not great with hardware, especially laptops, but… It’s as up-to-date as we could make it.”

“So… circa 2008 instead of 1998?” Kylo quipped, flopping down on the visitor’s couch. Rey glanced down at how he took up more than half the small piece of furniture, and promptly seated herself on his lap. He snaked one arm around her waist immediately and Renata gave them a sideways glare.

“You kids better keep it PG. I’m not allowed to even _think_ about sex for another week.” She sighed, picking up the coffee and inhaling greedily. “Ahhh… black like my villainous, dark heart…”

“So,” Kylo gestured at the table. “Been busy have you?”

“What the fuck else am I supposed to do? You know I don’t sit still well.” She frowned, shifting through the papers on her table. “They won’t let me out to smoke or give me my gum, either. And I’m not sticking on one of those God-awful patches. Here -”

She held out a color-coded map of the main floor, pointing at little red ‘x’s she’d marked here and there. Kylo held it so Rey could see it too.

“I marked the places I thought were most suspect. Blind corners, booths with a lot of traffic, electrical hubs.” She sipped her coffee with a hum of pleasure as they looked over her work. “Rey, what do you think about the wifi setup? It’s not like they can spread this shit via the internet, but the heating system and electric are both controlled by remote access.”

“I…” Rey frowned. “I actually have no idea what kind of setup they have, but I’ll bring it up to Elle. A place like the Moscone ought to have everything important on a separate, secure server, but…”

“You never know.” Kylo pressed his lips into a grim line. “I’ve seen some truly surprising places still using 'password1.'”

“Yeah, me too.”

Renata nodded absently, suddenly finding something fascinating behind the screen of her computer, and Kylo gave Rey a questioning look. She sighed, eyes rolling.

“Is there something you don’t want to tell us?” She tried to avoid sounding patronizing, she really did, but alphas and their ridiculous, juvenile egos…

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” Nat snapped. “I just don’t want anyone to overreact.”

Now it was Rey’s turn to quirk an eyebrow at Kylo, but he only gave a slight shake of his head, as clueless as was. Renata closed her laptop and gave them both a hard stare.

“I promise I won’t overreact,” Rey said soothingly. Nat gave Kylo a look, and he sighed. Rey adjusted herself so she was more firmly resting her weight on his lap, holding him down as much as possible.

“Just don’t go all Skywalker on me, please?” She held his eyes for a moment before glancing up at the door, and then down to where her new phone sat amidst her table of research. “See… I’ve been talking to Ishida.”

“Okay,” Rey said, feeling Kylo’s hand tighten around her waist. She sensed that wasn’t all, and just wanted Renata to get on with it, but she covered his hand with her own hoping to soothe against whatever was coming with her touch. “And…?”

“He’s coming to see me. This afternoon.” She sighed, tugging at the sloppy platinum braid that hung over her shoulder. “Things aren’t… working out. With him and Innara.”

Rey had been a fool to ever think she could hold Kylo Ren down, even with all her weight across his lap. He lifted her like she weighed no more than a feather, unceremoniously dumping her into the couch as he lurched to his feet, radiating anger and arrogance.

“No! Absolutely not!” Kylo stormed to the door, bracing himself against it as if he planned to lurk there all day, preventing entry to anyone he deemed unworthy. Namely, ex-mates who had the audacity to rethink their choices.

“It’s not your decision, Kylo!” Renata’s voice was barely less than a shout, and her hands clenched into fists around the edges of the table. “I will talk to whoever I please!”

“We both know what you’re thinking! Do you really expect me to believe you brought this up just so you two could _talk_ ?” He stepped closer, leaning over the smaller alpha, his towering bulk making her appear more frail and weak than she already was. “I am not going to let that - that traitorous _coward_ \- come crawling back to us -”

“Kylo!” Rey had reclaimed her feet, and she reached across Renata’s bed without a second thought, the slap of her hand on his cheek shockingly loud in the small hospital room.

Both alphas gave her similar looks of pure shock, but Rey refused to grant them even a moment to process, shoving herself between her angry mate and his lieutenant, meeting Kylo stare for stare.

“How could you? She’s sick! She almost _died_ , and we don’t even know what will come of your uncle’s stupid ‘cure!’” She was practically spitting in his face. “Ishida didn’t _betray_ us - he made a choice in a complicated situation that would honestly be difficult for anyone! There’s nothing traitorous about being forced to choose between two people you love, and just because he picked the one who _isn’t_ your best friend, doesn’t mean you have any right to judge him for it!”

“Rey, you don’t understand - she wants us to let him back into our pack -”

“I know that, you idiot! But it’s not a dictatorship! We’re not at war - this is a personal matter, and at the very least, everyone should get a vote -”

He whirled away from her, turning to slam his fist into the wall, then yanked open the door, nearly flinging it off of its hinges, and stormed out of the room. Something crashed down the hall, and Rey and Renata both shared a wince.

She leaned back, meeting the other woman’s bemused gaze. “A vote, hmm?”

Rey shrugged. “It only seems fair. It’s not like he did anything violent or went and spread lies to our enemies.”

Renata shook her head, a slight smile touching her pale mouth. “The den mother has spoken.”

“We're not boyscouts," Rey rolled her eyes. "Do you think he’s coming back?”

“What do you think?”

“He’ll come back.” Rey sighed. “I just hope he’s ready to apologize when he does.”

Renata smirked, patting her hand where it rested on the side of the bed reassuringly. “Don’t worry, honey. That was surprisingly restrained for a Kylo meltdown.”

“That was _restrained_?”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tell me again,” Dr. Holdo asked, leaning forward intently. She had stopped writing in her notebook, closing the cover around the pen tucked inside. “Exactly what Skywalker told you.”
> 
> “It’s not just what he said,” Rey tried to emphasize. “He showed me, but I don’t know how to explain it -”
> 
> “Could you do it on anyone? Just as practice?”

She was the  _ last _ person he wanted to see right then, so of course his mother had to be the one to find him. Not even saying anything, just standing there and watching her son take out his aggression on a faulty vending machine.  _ Judging _ , as his father called it.  _ Leia doesn’t even have to say anything, you can smell the judgment a mile away. _

When he’d succeeded in putting his foot through the plastic panel on the front, and blown the thing’s electricity, he finally stopped, turning to regard her with his chest heaving from exertion.

“Oh, don’t mind me. By all means, continue.” The wry smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, the familiar dark humor that Ben Solo inherited from both sides. “I’m sure that thing deserves it.”

“Just stop. Christ.” He surveyed the damage he’d done and wondered who he would be writing a check to. Fuck. He bent to recovered a shattered piece of plastic with the service number and his jaw worked as he searched his pockets for his phone.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll -”

“No! No, goddammit!” He kicked the next nearest machine, denting a bit of metal at the bottom. “I don’t need your help!”

“Well, I suppose there’s plenty left in your trust fund. Frankly, I was beginning to think you’d never touch it. But you’re not just supporting yourself anymore, are you?” He glanced over, not meeting her eyes as he collected broken shards and crammed them into a nearby trash can. “I’m glad you found each other.”

“Really? Because your brother seemed to think she’d be better off if you turned her over to him!” This time he did meet her eyes, stepping closer just to force her to look up at him. Leia’s lips pursed into a narrow frown. “What would he have done? Used her for his - his fucking eugenics research?”

“I was never going to turn her over to Luke,” she said, returning his glare. “When I came across the application, I knew there was something special about her. An unclaimed omega coming out of the foster system? That’s almost unheard of.”

“That’s disgusting!”

“Yes, it is. But that doesn’t make it not true.” Leia Organa sighed. She started to lift a hand towards him, then thought better of it and clenched her fist at her side instead. “Ben, listen to me. You know I never had the knack for moon-magic like you and Luke, but I’m not entirely powerless. Right after I met Rey, I knew. I just knew she was meant for you. And you need each other -”

“So you arranged for her to cross my path, is that it? Send her to a few conventions, we work in the same field, after all -” He scowled. “Did you  _ know _ she was going into heat and send her to that goddamn networking thing with Dameron?”

“No! Ben, no! I would never - what kind of person do you think I am? I am an  _ alpha _ just like you!” Now she did reach out, grabbing hold of the stiff leather collar of his jacket and yanking, dragging him down and hoisting herself up on her toes. “I wanted you to meet, yes, but I would never have jeopardized her safety like that! I’m just glad you were there!”

Kylo smirked, reminded again of Han Solo’s words.  _ Only your mother can look down on you from below your chin. _ He stepped back, prompting her to let go of his collar, and broke eye contact.

“Now tell me what happened with Luke. I know Rey saw him.” Her voice was softer, asking instead of commanding. “What did he say to make her so scared of him?”

“If you want to talk about Luke, Mother,” he couldn't quite hold back the sneer in the word, “I think you should be the one to start.”

Leia considered him, taking in the pain in his eyes and the dark, vengeful tone of an alpha ready to go to war to protect his people, and sighed. 

“You’ve grown up,” she said softly, almost proudly. “Found a place where you belong. You would never have fought so hard for Armitage Hux or Bazine Netal.”

“No. They weren’t my friends. I called them my pack, but they weren’t.” He chewed the inside of his mouth thoughtfully. “Renata was. Is.”

“I know.” Leia smiled. “I knew she would side with you. And I’m sorry about -”

“No,” Kylo shut her down quickly. “Tell me about Luke.”

“Alright, son. Alright.” She looked tired as her eyes passed over him again. “Come on, my office is this way. You can write a check for the vending machine company while we’re there.”

 

“Tell me again,” Dr. Holdo asked, leaning forward intently. She had stopped writing in her notebook, closing the cover around the pen tucked inside. “Exactly what Skywalker told you.”

“It’s not just what he  _ said _ ,” Rey tried to emphasize. “He  _ showed _ me, but I don’t know how to explain it -”

“Could you do it on anyone? Just as practice?” Rey frowned at Ishida’s interruption. It wasn’t that she particularly minded him being there, he had been nothing but kind and helpful, but being questioned by the two of them made her feel like she was back in school.

“I mean, I guess I could.” She looked around uncomfortably. “But it - I told you what he said, it will trigger -”

“Presentation. A heat or rut in an established target. Yes, I understand,” Amylin said, glancing back at her notes. 

“What if you used it on me?” Ishida suggested. “Can it force a hormonal presentation in betas, too?”

“I don’t… I don’t think it’s a good idea…” Rey closed her eyes, trying to review her memory as carefully as possible. “I think he said it  _ might _ . But even Anakin only used it once, so it’s not like he had a lot of experience to go on.”

“Did he say who it was?” Dr. Holdo had her notebook open again, and Rey hesitated. “It’s okay if you’d rather not say. Someone close to him?”

“Not particularly, but… she was a friend of Padme’s” At their blank look, she continued, “Ben’s grandmother, Padme Amidala Skywalker. Leia’s birth mother. One of her friends was desperate for a baby and she was past the age where she had regular heats.”

She sighed, deciding at this point she might as well tell the whole story, although she hoped she could at least trust them not to repeat it to anyone involved.

“The thing is… Anakin learned it from someone else. Actually, it was a cursed place, a shadowland called Mortis, somewhere in Egypt… He wouldn’t tell me where, said it was best if no one tried to go back there.” It was not a nice story, but it explained some things about Ahsoka and her hatred of anyone trying to manipulate shapeshifter genetics. And how Anakin got the idea such things could be altered in the first place. “He was with Ahsoka and Obi-wan. They found an old tomb with an altar and…”

_ Obi-wan just  _ had _ to touch it, he couldn’t ever stop being curious about anything, even stupid, dangerous ancient artifacts. Ahsoka wasn’t any better, I’m just glad he got to it first. If it had been her going through that… I don’t know. I like to think we were better than that, but it wasn’t easy to fight off, and I never had the same rivalry with her that I did with Obi-wan. I got us out, I kept him safe, but I don’t really know if what I did was right… _

_ Thankfully, neither of them remembered much, but sometimes I’d see her looking at me, really looking, like she was trying to put together a puzzle or something in her head. The best I could do was deflect, anytime it came up, pretend I didn’t remember anymore than they did, but… I remembered. I remembered all of it. _

“Oh,” Ishida said, drawing Rey out of the retelling. When Anakin had told the story she had been privy to glimpses and hints of emotion from his memory, making it just as uncomfortable now as she trailed off and waited for Amilyn and Ishida to come to their own conclusions.

“Just to be clear -” Holdo began, and Rey shook her head slightly. “- Obi-wan and Ahsoka…?”

“They were both betas,” Ishida filled in. “But obviously that’s not all there is to it, is there? Whatever this magic is that calls to the inner beast, it’s still sort of predictable, isn’t it? I mean, there’s no way Ahsoka would have ever presented as omega. That’s obvious. I didn’t know Obi-wan, of course, but -”

“He was definitely not alpha material,” Holdo confirmed. Rey glanced between the two of them in surprise. either Anakin hadn’t realized it, or he had withheld that information, and she didn’t know either of them well enough to make that leap. “So we can guess… The altar induced a heat-like presentation in Obi-wan, Ahsoka touched it after him and the combination brought out alpha instincts in her… Anakin had to drag her off while not succumbing to the temptation himself…”

“And they left Obi-wan there to suffer for however long it took to wear off. Charming story,” Ishida shook his head. “No wonder they were all… weird afterwards. Even if they didn’t remember, there are instinctive responses to presentation. Biological changes that may have been left over…”

“Yes, it’s all very interesting and tragic, but I think we’re losing track of our discussion,” Amilyn had her notebook open again, jotting down a few hasty scribbles. “So, one would assume that were you to use this power on Ishida, the changes would not be permanent, but it might cause lasting side effects. Easily mitigated under the right conditions, perhaps. Do you have an… alpha friend who could make it easier on you if you decide to go through with this?”

He chuckled, giving her a gentle smile. “I do, but she’s made it fairly clear she’s not interested in me that way.”

Holdo looked up, blue eyes sharp, and inhaled rapidly when she understood his implications. She tilted her head thoughtfully, bringing the pen in her hand to tap against her lips.

“Perhaps, since this is solely for said alpha’s benefit, we should involve her before we make any assumptions,” she offered finally.

Rey sighed in relief, grateful for at least the momentary reprieve. Also because there was no way Renata would allow her to experiment on either of them, but she decided to let them figure that one out on their own.   
  


 

As it happened, Rey was absolutely correct in her assumptions. After being stunned for a moment at the possibly of such a thing, Renata adamantly refused to allow either of them to be “experimented” on.

And then Kylo, her brilliant, loyal, infuriating mate had listened to the ensuing argument for all of five seconds before turning to and quietly asking why she couldn’t just use her magic on  _ him _ .

“I didn’t…” Rey swallowed under the all the attention in the room suddenly focused on her. “I didn’t think of it…”

“Can you?” His eyes held hers steadily, and she felt warmth flooding her body at the idea of Kylo, half-mad, dopey, rutting Kylo under her spell.

“Yes,” she whispered.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is it?” Rey asked softly, sensing his distress and seeking to soothe her alpha. She had keep a tight rein on herself to stop from seeking out his thoughts. “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”
> 
> Slowly, he turned his head, those wide, dark eyes rolling towards her without actually stopping on her face. Instead, he reached down to take hold of her hand, and kept his gaze on their intertwined fingers as Rey rubbed her thumb across his palm in calming strokes.
> 
> “What about you, Rey?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little iffy on it, so I'll go ahead and add a TW for partial/dubious consent and rough public sex.
> 
> Because magic and telepathy don't exist in the real world, always ensure willing, enthusiastic consent kids! If there's any question AT ALL, ask.

They stopped at the townhouse long enough to pack a bag and to tell Finn and Jacen the plan, both of whom seemed far more concerned for Kylo’s welfare than either of them had expected. Jacen tried very hard to volunteer himself instead, until Finn asked what he thought he’d present as, sparking a whole _other_ argument, because while Ishida was obviously submissive, Jacen wasn’t so easy to guess at. Kylo, who’d known him longest and had met the occasional friend or one-night stand he brought home, finally asked if he had anyone to hook-up with either way, and he admitted the man he was seeing was not even a shapeshifter at all. And they had only recently agreed to be exclusive, something that was apparently not Jacen’s usual practice.

“You care about this guy a lot,” Finn pressed. “You can’t just do this without telling him. Damn, Syndulla, that’s not how relationships work!”

Jacen sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. “Alright, fine! Go get your brain fried by some weird wild-born magic, I guess Finn’s been a pretty decent alpha so far, I trust him to lead us.”

Kylo and Finn both blinked at that.

“You… you’re leaving me in charge?” Finn asked slowly.

“Well, Renata’s still my lieutenant, but… Chain of command leaves you, I guess. If Rey and I are occupied and she’s in the hospital…” He shrugged, glancing at Jacen again. “If Jace trusts you…”

“Trust him to be in charge of who? Me and his mate?” Jacen laughed. “Yeah, Kylo, I think Finn can handle that.”

“There are other things we have to work on!”

“Yeah, I know.” The other man rolled his deep amber eyes, getting up from the couch, where he had been settled reading something on his tablet. He passed the device over to Finn, who glanced down at it quickly. “I went over the info you forwarded from your boss. That’s a list of the ten largest-scale booths at the convention, and their known associations.”

“Thanks.” Finn grinned at Kylo. “See? We’re working on things.”

“Right. Okay.”

“We’re cool, Solo. You can go do the dangerous stuff, while us peons hold the fort,” Jacen teased, crossing his arms. His amber eyes sparked with amusement as Kylo glanced around the house again, shifting the bag on his shoulder. “Go on, man. We’re good here.”

Finn glanced at Jacen, and a slow smirk crept over his face as he moved his eyes over their leader, and then Rey.

“Yeah, man. I thought you were in a hurry.” He winked at Rey, and she blinked in surprise. “Or did you need something else from us? Like some sense of self-preservation, maybe?”

“No, no,” Kylo ran a hand nervously through his hair, and she laid a hand on his arm soothingly.

“Kylo?”

“You okay there, man?”

“Shut up, Jacen,” he said with a growl, turning to wrap his arm around Rey’s waist, ignoring the snickering as he guided her out the door. “Rey won’t hurt me. Let’s go.”

 

It was a short drive to the beach house, but Kylo gripped the wheel with both hands the entire way. They had decided to go somewhere more private than a hotel, in case Rey’s magic unleashed side effects they weren’t prepared to deal with in public, but she could still sense his unease growing as they pulled into the driveway. He turned off the car, but didn't immediately reach for the door, and for a moment they sat in silence as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

“What is it?” Rey asked softly, sensing his distress and seeking to soothe her alpha. She had keep a tight rein on herself to stop from seeking out his thoughts. “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”

Slowly, he turned his head, those wide, dark eyes rolling towards her without actually stopping on her face. Instead, he reached down to take hold of her hand, and kept his gaze on their intertwined fingers as Rey rubbed her thumb across his palm in calming strokes.

“What about you, Rey?”

“What?” She looked up, making a distressed noise as he again avoided her eyes. “Kylo! Look at me!”

When he finally did, she was shocked to see the open conflict plaguing his expressive features. Pinned by her eyes, he shifted restlessly, lifting his hand from her lap to caress her cheek with a tenderness that stole her breath away. Rey studied his face carefully, trying to puzzle together why he looked so torn apart.

“What do you mean ‘what about me?’ You’re the one volunteering to be my test subject,” she said quietly. Kylo gave a slight shake of his head.

“I know. But if it goes badly - Rey,” he exhaled in a hoarse sigh. “Do you have any idea how gentle I’ve been with you? I know you need your space, I’ve admired your spirit, but I could _break_ you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Part of me wants to. It’s not a strong urge, but, it’s there, and I - I want you so badly, I need you so much - It scares me sometimes.” His hand was hot as he cupped her cheek, and Rey leaned into the contact, her eyes never breaking from his gaze. “When you ran from me, I sent Renata. I could have tracked you myself, but I knew if I found you and you refused me… I’m not strong enough to let you go. I’m selfish and impulsive. I lash out when things don’t go my way. I know you trust me, but I’m not sure you should, and I can’t… I can’t be objective about this, so…”

“You can’t break me if I want you, Kylo.” Now it was her turn to try and look away, but he brought her chin down gently with his hand, forcing her to keep her eyes on him. Rey bit her lip. He’d been brutally honest with her just now, surely he deserved the truth from her, too. “You think you’re not strong enough to let me go? You think if I run, you’ll hurt me? Then do it. I want to know. I want to know if…” It was hard to issue the challenge with his eyes locked on hers, but eventually, she managed a low whisper. “...If my alpha is truly worthy of me…”

She could see his pupils widen, the hint of gold in his irises, before he leaned forward and kissed her, his hand sliding behind her head, holding her still with sharp claws tangling in her hair. Rey moaned, suddenly desperate both to get out of the car and be closer to him, half of her considering just climbing over the console into his lap, as his lips and teeth practically _devoured_ her, biting and sucking and rough.

Abruptly, he released her, dragging himself back and climbing out of the car, his bag slung over his shoulder as he jogged towards the house.

“Hurry up, I don’t want to be out here when it gets dark.” Hastily, he unlocked the door, throwing his back inside and then reaching for hers as she joined him under the porch. “Do you need anything special to do this?”

Rey shook her head, aroused and nervous at the change her admission had wrought in her previously caring, affectionate mate. She could tell that part of him was still there, somewhere, but this decisively arrogant, brusque Kylo was new to her. Though it wasn’t entirely surprising to see it in him, she had had plenty of glimpses of his pride and raw power before, it made her nervous to see how quickly such a change had come over him.

Without speaking, she undressed as quickly as possible, waiting for him to do the same, and then she closed her eyes and laid her hands on his bare chest, lowering the shield she had only just learned to construct.

_Kylo._

That wasn’t right. She needed his true name, to summon the blood of the wolf passed down by his ancestors.

_Ben. Ben Solo. Skywalker's heir._

Yes - there. Images reached her of a little boy with a shock of dark, black curls. A solemn teenager with his head buried in a book. A young man, gangly and awkward and overdramatic, dressed in black under a bright, cloudless sky. A hint of a scent, tantalizing and fascinating - _there you are._

_Skywalker._

_Solo._

_Ben._

Dark eyes turned to her, a vision of the past peering out from his mind, flashing to yellow as she whispered to him.

“Ben Solo.” A warning snarl reached her ears, and Rey’s mouth curved into a sensual smile. “Alpha.”

_Catch me, if you can._

  
She was running along the sand before he even had the time to realize she was gone, and Ben lifted his voice in a deafening roar as he took off after her, consumed with need, his mind a whirlwind of base emotions. The scent of her had his mouth watering, his powerful, wild omega, a precious prize that he intended to claim again and again, to bend to his will until she knew nothing else.

His bite scarred her neck just as his wrist bore the mark of her teeth, but Rey was a willful creature, only half-tamed. This time he would take her at full-force, prove to her that he was indeed worthy of such a prize, and leave her without even the illusion that she was anything but utterly, completely his.

_Come to me, Ben._

  
Rey could hardly breathe, but she refused to stop, even knowing he was gaining on her and would, inevitably, be upon her soon. It was important that she put every shred of effort she possessed into resisting him, or she would never know for certain that he’d won her fairly, and she _needed_ to be sure. They both needed it.

So she fought back even when he bore her to the ground, rolling and clawing and spitting in his face, taking off again, only to be caught a second time. And then a third, and final time. Ben panted on top of her, his weight pinning her to the ground, and she cursed as he grabbed her wrists with bruising strength, firmly twisting them behind her back.

“Dammit… Rey! Stop, just stop!” She gave a low growl as he transferred her wrists to one hand and lifted her to her knees with the other. “Just… let me…”

_Do it. Take me._

He was truthful when he said he’d been holding back. Even the first time he caught her, he had held some of his strength in check. It was good to know that he had a kind heart, Rey thought, even under her spell his natural inclination did not lean toward violence. But she forced it from him anyway, and his body wore the marks of her defiance, deep gouges down his chest and teeth marks on his arms and one hand. The one she could feel now, ruthlessly pressing her wrists against her back and holding her to the ground, while the other forced her legs apart despite her snarls and attempts to jerk away.

“For fuck’s sake, Rey! I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but it’s _over_ , okay? I can smell you, sweetheart.” His fingers pressed inside her, thick and hard, and she whined, knowing what he would find. “And you’re so ready for me. Why are you fighting me? _Please_...”

“Yes, Ben,” she conceded softly. “ _Yes._ ”

_Take me, fill me. Alpha. Mate._

She closed her eyes and they sighed together as he thrust his length inside her, filling her full and deep from behind. Rey moaned in pleasure, finally relaxing under his hands as he pulled out and slid back in a slow inch at a time.

“God, you feel good,” he exhaled into her ear, and she leaned her neck aside, begging him for more contact. “You want me, I know you do. Why-”

“I had to know,” she gasped, struggling to get enough breath to answer. “I’m sorry, alpha.”

“You’re mine now.” His mouth descended on her exposed flesh, nipping and licking and kissing, drawing hoarse moans from her dry throat. “No more fighting.”

“Yes.” _Always yours._

She whimpered while he slammed into her, over and over against her trembling, tired body, his breath and mouth hot on her neck and shoulders. He was rough and fast, giving her nothing for her insolence, only taking the prize he had earned, but Rey expected no less.

“If I’m hurting you, tell me,” he panted. “I’m sorry, I can’t… I need you, the magic is too strong…”

Stubbornly, she shook her head, opening her thoughts a little for him to see how she felt, reassuring him wordlessly that she was alright, he had her consent, even for this.

“This is really what you wanted?” He pressed his lips to her ear, speaking in low whispers as he gasped and thrust, tired but determined to complete their coupling. “Rey?”

_I’m sorry, I love you, I don’t want to hurt you… This spell just… I can’t fight it._ His jumbled thoughts reached her as she lowered her mental barriers, and she focused on responding to him in definite words.

_You are not hurting me… I don’t want you to fight it._ He was brutal and ragged, but her body hummed with relief to have him inside of her, finally claiming her and mating her after that long chase and test of strength, her wildest instincts thrilled to find he was worthy of her in every way. _I love you, too._

“Please, forgive me. Ben. I needed you to… to claim me like this…” She closed her eyes, fighting to form words. “It feels so _right_...”

_Ben. Mate. Strong, fast, solid. Good alpha._

“God, Rey!” He pressed his head against her shoulder, his breathing ragged, and she felt his knot swelling. “That chase almost killed me, you know… You are... very fast. I’m going to bite you and knot you like this. Alright?”

Her verbal response was an unintelligible, wild moan, but her mind soared at the thought, and she lowered her shields completely so he could see how much she wanted him to do just that.

_YES! Yes, knot, bite, yours, please!_

“Fuck!”

She gasped as he swelled within her, satisfying the deep, primal need they’d been chasing for the last hour, her slick heat clenching around him. Then his teeth sank into her neck and she screamed, dragged into a sudden swell of ecstasy, a rush of emotion flooding her thoughts and body with the reminder of their bonding.

“Oh, God, Ben!”

“Yes, good girl!” He slipped a hand around to rub between her thighs, and she whimpered, shuddering under the onslaught of an unexpected climax, drawn out by his stroking fingers and the soft swipe of his tongue lapping over her neck.

“Sweet, sweet omega, Rey. My precious wildflower.”

“Wildflower?” Rey chuckled, completely exhausted but recognizing the exaggerated praise of her silly, rut-minded mate. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Are you alright?”

“Are you?”

“I’m still inside of you, so yes, why wouldn’t I be?” She was glad he couldn’t see her eyes rolling from above her. “I love you, Rey. I don’t say that enough.”

He really _did_ , but she never got tired of hearing it, so she let him think that. Besides, she was bone-tired physically and mentally, and Kylo was hard to argue with, even half-crazy rutting Kylo.

“Rey?” She was embarrassingly close to falling asleep when his voice broke the silence a few minutes later, jolting her awake as his knot was deflating.

“Mmm?”

“Where are we?”

 

He was carrying her when she woke up, and Rey was embarrassingly certain he had been for a while. She groaned, feeling as if every muscle in her body had been beaten by the pounding surf nearby, and Kylo kissed her forehead when she finally opened her eyes.

“There you are.”

“How long have you been walking?” It was getting dark, and she felt like they should have reached the house by now. The last she remembered, Kylo had dragged her to feet, and they’d stumbled along for… maybe ten minutes, as she tried to follow her nose back the way they’d come. “Did I faint?”

“Like a lady in a corset.” He smirked down at her. “I tried to wake you up by licking your clit, but you just moaned a lot.”

“Fantastic. You didn’t… ahh… do anything else... while I was out?” She raised her eyebrow at his embarrassed expression. “Did you?”

“No, that’s why I wanted you to wake up. I don’t mind carrying you, but it’s kind of…” He blushed adorably, and Rey laughed.

“Hard?”

“I wasn’t going to say that, but yes, it is.”

“Okay, put me down.” She patted his chest reassuringly. “Let me take care of you, alpha.”

Kylo stopped, his eyes on her wide with surprise and concern.

“Just like that?”

“Well, if you don’t want me to, we can keep going, I guess, but you seem uncomfortable and you’ve been carrying me, so…” She shrugged. A few minutes ago he had forced her to her stomach and fucked her like a wild animal, regardless of her comfort, now he was worried about a blow job? “Please, alpha, I can tell by your scent, you need me.”

He set her onto her feet with care, stiffening as she took him in hand before she even got to her knees.

“Rey, sweetheart. Can’t I do anything for you?”

“When we get home and I have a quick wash and a bed, sure.”

He groaned as she swallowed his length as far as he would go, bobbing her head and applying her tongue eagerly. Warm hands stroked her cheeks, and he murmured encouragement and praise, warning her to pull back just before he finished.

Rey tried to stop him, but he batted her hands away and swung her into his arms again like she weighed little more than a handful of sand, and the deep, primal beast in her heart purred contently.

_Strong, good alpha. Perfect mate._

“I have a name, omega,” he smiled warmly as he peered down at her, and Rey sighed. “Your wolf thoughts _are_ incredibly erotic, though.”

“Ah,” she mumbled intelligently, clamping down on her shields. “Well, at least there’s that.”

“What _was_ that, Rey? I felt so… God, I hope this is a priavte beach! I mean, I chased you down and fucked you out in the open like -”

“Like an animal?” She rolled her eyes. “It was my magic, remember? You agreed to be my guinea pig”

“Yeah, you could say that. Fuck! You cannot use that on Renata. Not if it affects you, too.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rey.”

Truthfully, now that she had time to examine it through more objective eyes, she thought her spell had worked on her as much as it had on him. Certainly, she had succeeded in summoning his inner wolf, but it seemed _her_ inner wolf had needed something, too. Something she should feel… mortally ashamed of, her human brain told her. She knew she would be if anyone else learned about it, but with just Kylo, she felt safe being honest.

“No, there’s no apology needed. I didn’t expect my magic to affect me, too, but apparently… I needed that.” She laid her head tiredly against his chest. “I don’t know why, but… I feel… better. Closer to you.”

“Closer to me?”

“My wolf thoughts are hard to explain,” she shrugged. “But just know… I loved every second of that and… whatever it was… I needed it. _We_ needed it, I think.”

“Huh.” He was quiet, until they finally reached the back of Leia’s house, their nakedness thankfully covered by the rising blanket of nightfall. He waited until he could set her on her feet on the smooth wooden deck, then he peered down into her face with wide, searching eyes. “You’re really okay?”

“Yes, Ben.” Something flared in his eyes, and his expression narrowed slightly. “Alpha?”

His voice was low, but full of warmth when he replied.

“Say it again. Say my name. Call me alpha.”

“Ben.” She smiled at the sight of his widened pupils, the way his mouth opened slightly as the single syllable rolled from her lips. “My alpha.”

"Marry me."

"What?" She blinked stupidly as he waved his hand in the air, summoning Anakin's klaive, the red crackles of energy around the silver-etched blade bright in the dim light. "Ben -"

"Please, Rey." He dropped to his knee and she pressed her hand over her mouth, swallowing thickly, watching as he presented her with his ancestral weapon, held out in his open palms. "Take it. Take everything I have, if you want, but at least take my name."

"Yes." She sniffed, blinking back tears as her hand found the hilt of the sword and closed over it. His eyes on her were warm and more than a little watery when she met his gaze, smiling because she didn't know how to stop. "Yes, Ben."

 

Later, after she finally managed to get her alpha to sleep on the third or fourth try, Rey dug through her bag and fished out her phone, finding the number she wanted and typing out a quick text. Kylo had said he thought Ishida or Jacen would know how to make a klaive, but Rey had a better idea, and this way she could be absolutely certain of surprising him with it.

The shipping would be exorbitant, but if they going to be having a wedding anyway... Perhaps she could just buy her contact a plane ticket...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter like eight times, it's probably sloppier than my usual, but it was time to quit fucking with it and just let it exist in imperfection. Apologies for the semi-late update, now that I've gotten over the blockade and onto to more chapters the story should be flowing. Stay tuned for the next chapter, it's got kittens!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lynx kittens required her full attention, so she didn’t see the emerald eyes watching from the door, pouring over the sight of Nat, fully engrossed with her task, purring and murmuring softly to her three tiny charges. Ishida glanced up when he caught the familiar scent, but she was already turning away. He made excuses to Renata as quickly as he could, rushing to catch up to her at the elevator, his hand catching the door at the last second.
> 
> “Why doesn’t she want to be a mother? Did you see how gentle she was?” Emerald eyes filled with tears, and Ishida shoved his way into the elevator and let Innara sob into his patient embrace. “I just want… I wanted… that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just write Shuri from the MCU into my Star Wars AU?? I mean... Not intentionally... Did I totally plagarize the Syndullas from my faerie AU? ...They have an entertaining family dynamic, okay...? I'm kinda bad at character design tbh, that's why I started writing fanfic so...
> 
> HEY, LOOK! KITTENS!!

Visiting hours were technically over, but when the doctor overseeing your care is also a close personal friend, enforcement of hospital rules is somewhat lacking. Renata looked up at the knock on her half-open door, not expecting anyone, but unsurprised to have company. She was expecting Jacen or Rose, and she sat up straighter as Ishida slipped into the room holding a large pet-carrier half-covered by his coat. The scent of newborn kitten was unmistakable, and her ears caught the faint sound of petulant cries.

“What the hell have you brought me?” Her tone clearly wasn’t as stern as she thought, because he proceeded to set the large, hard-cornered soft carrier beside her on the bed with a grin.

“They were brought to the lab when I was working with Dr. Holdo. Someone took them to the SPCA thinking they were domestic, and they called the Totem Reclaimation Project based here. You're the only registered Indian _and_ lynx in all of Northern California.” She slid over and turned on her side, giving the carrier more room, and watched with interest as he unzipped the side and gently removed the tiniest scrap of fur she’d ever seen. “It takes a lot of time and patience to bottle-feed infants, but we thought… you’re not exactly _busy_ right now, and injured wildlife tend to do better in totemic care, so…”

“Oh, honestly!” Renata scowled at him as she accepted the little kit, carefully holding it to her chest. She couldn’t help the low purr that resonated in her chest, it was instinctive, and it responded immediately, snuggling in against her warm body. “Poor little guy. How many are there?”

“Three. That’s the male, the other two are females.” He watched silently as she unzipped the leather case, allowing the two remaining infants to wriggle towards her warm, resonating body.

“Shhh,” she soothed, licking her thumb and stroking one of the females with a firm hand. “You’re alright. Hush, now.”

When she looked up at Ishida, her eyes flashed reflectively over an irritable frown, and she snatched up the formula and dropper he held out brusquely. “I hate you all.”

Ishida smiled faintly.

“I assumed you would say say that.” He settled onto the little visitors’ couch beside Renata’s hospital bed and took charge of a kitten and a dropper. “I also knew for a fact you’d never turn them down.”

Renata’s eyes fell on his lap, where he held the tiny lynx by the scruff of its neck and tried to feed it.

“You’re doing it wrong,” she growled sharply. “Hold her in your hand, like this. They can’t swallow if you’re holding their scruff. Stupid wolf."

The lynx kittens required her full attention, so she didn’t see the emerald eyes watching from the door, pouring over the sight of Nat, fully engrossed with her task, purring and murmuring softly to her three tiny charges. Ishida glanced up when he caught the familiar scent, but she was already turning away. He made excuses to Renata as quickly as he could, rushing to catch up to her at the elevator, his hand catching the door at the last second.

“Why doesn’t she want to be a mother? Did you see how gentle she was?” Emerald eyes filled with tears, and Ishida shoved his way into the elevator and let Innara sob into his patient embrace. “I just want… I wanted… that.”

“I know,” he sighed.

“She’s my mate. I don’t want anyone else! I want to have a baby _with my mate!_ ” He just nodded, stroking Innara’s sleek black hair and trying to make soothing sounds. “Why doesn’t she _want_ me? What happened to us?”

“I don’t know, Innara. Maybe you should go ask her.”

“I can’t. I can’t stand it - why did you have to bring her _kittens_ , Ishi?” She pulled away, sniffing and dabbing at her smeared makeup gingerly. “What on earth possessed you?”

“It was Holdo’s idea. She thought Nat needed something to -”

 

He shouldn’t have mentioned Holdo. Innara had been so close, she’d even come to the door, and if only Renata had _seen_ her, maybe…

For a while, he just stood there in the hospital lobby, mentally berating himself for making such a stupid slip up, after he’d been trying so hard just to get them to talk to each other without malice. When Amilyn had spoken to him about the lynx kits, he’d been thrilled, knowing Nat could never resist the alpha instinct to care for and protect something so small and innocent. Of course, he’d wanted Innara to come see them, too. How often did wild bobcats leave their kittens around for stupid hikers to find, and how often would any werecat get a chance to be involved in the care of their totem species?

And then he had to go and name-drop Amilyn Holdo, right when Innara was already crying and upset. Shoulders slumped, he turned back to the bank of elevators, his attention immediately grabbed by an overexcited Rose and Finn, coming in from the parking lot. Renata must have called them while he’d been walking Innara out and lurking in misery as she walked away.

“I can’t believe you found _lynx_ kittens!” Rose was nearly buzzing with excitement. “That’s so cool!”

“I can’t believe you convinced Renata to bottle-feed a bunch of two-day-old babies,” Finn said with a shake of his head. “I never pictured her as the nurturing type.”

“I’ve known Renata for a long time. She’ll growl and complain about it, but she’d never turn down someone in need.” He sighed. If only Innara were as easy to predict, he might have succeeded, but the weretiger had always been a secretive and private person, even to her mates. “You just have to ask the right way.”

"What exactly is the 'right way' to ask Renata to do something?" Finn pressed.

"Ah. Well." He fiddled with his glasses, wiping them with a corner of his shirt as they waited for the elevator. "You leave out the asking part."

"Seriously, Noel?! Did you just waltz into the room of a hospitalized alpha with a bag of kittens and hope for the best, because you knew she'd say no if you asked?"

"Obviously, it worked," Rose grinned at him. "Smart plan. You'd have to be soul-less to say no to helpless kittens."

"We don't know she has a soul, Rose." Finn pursed his lips as she swatted his arm, giving him a dark look that made Ishida want to disappear from the small metal box they were trapped in as soon as possible. "What?"

"Renata has a soul, Finn!" When just shrugged in reply, she turned her sharp eyes on Ishida, leaning carefully against the back wall. "Come on, you know her best. She said she knew you before she even met Innara! You agree she has a soul, right?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'soul.'" He said in as calm a manner as possible. "If you were to ask my Japanese grandmother, she would say Renata has two souls, as do all  _hengeyokai_. I'm not certain of the specific Creek Indian beliefs, but in general, Native Americans believe in a dual-soul as well, although I admit I am not well-informed on their specific beliefs on skinchangers or shapeshifters. I know Renata performed a spirit quest after her First Change, overseen by her father's family, and reported speaking to what she believes to be a sort of goddess or progenitor of some kind, whom she refers to as 'Grandmother Bobcat.' It seems unlikely she would be able to perform such a feat as traveling to spirit world if she were truly without a soul, so, in answer to your question -"

The elevator dinged to signal their floor, and he was surprised to see Finn take Rose's hand and lead her quickly down the hallway, leaving Ishida to catch up. He sighed as he heard them speaking animatedly to Renata, wondering what it was he'd done to render them both so uncomfortable.

Perhaps he had been a bit - what would Renata call it?  _Wordy_? Or perhaps they were simply excited to see the tiny little creatures now curled up on her chest, covered partially by a soft blanket. Rose 'oohed' and 'awwed' as he looked on from the doorway, knowing better than to disturb the infants but mesmerized by the sight and sound of the sleeping kittens. 

"They'll eat again in a few hours," Renata was telling her quietly. "Then there's the aftercare. I'd appreciate the help if you -"

"Oh yeah, we're staying." Finn grinned in response to Rose's happy silent clapping, both of them settling into the visitor's couch to wait and speak softly with Renata.

"I'll send you a text tomorrow," Ishida said, equally softly. Her eyes narrowed as he gave a farewell wave, that alpha gaze holding him still. "Nat. I'm available anytime if you need me."

"Alright." She nodded. "I'm working on Kylo."

"Good luck." 

_I hope it's better than mine._

 

 

Jacen Syndulla didn’t really _hate_ his mother, he wasn’t some edgy alpha with anything to prove, but she could be a bit… much. Especially when she thought he might, possibly, be on the verge of having an actual steady relationship. And when that relationship involved her favorite student and Leia Organa’s personal protege, who had been begging him to finally come clean that her match-making was successful, well…

“Okay, you were right, I give,” Poe leaned over to whisper as Hera Syndulla disappeared into the kitchen with a pile of dirty plates that she had refused help with. “I’ve never been raked over the coals so hard in my life, and I had to interview with Leia twice.”

Poe cast an injured look towards the kitchen. “I really thought your mother liked me. Why start inviting me over all the time for dinner if she doesn’t want us to date? I kinda thought it was a setup anyway.”

“Yeah, the thing is, Poe… She _does_ like you. My mother’s been trying to set me up with people for years, and she’s never invited anyone back after the first try.” He sighed, tipping his chair back and laying an arm over the back of Poe’s for leverage. “Now she knows we’re a thing, she’s not gonna give up until she’s drained you for every minor detail imaginable. I hope you weren’t planning on doing any _else_ tonight -”

The doorbell sounded, and Jacen cursed as he nearly fell over, jolting in surprise and catching himself ungracefully on the arm of his snickering companion.

“What happened to all that natural power and grace, wolfman?”

“Get the door, Jacen!”

Rolling his eyes at the dual onslaught of Poe Dameron and his mother, he climbed to his feet and jogged down the hall, neglecting to get a good look through the window before he opened the door wide.

There was a shrill squeal and a blur of color, and then he was all but tackled by his excited, grinning little sister.

“Oh, my God, you’re actually here! Holeeeeeey shiiiiit, Jacen!!”

He couldn’t really think of anything to say, so he just hugged her close, breathing in her familiar scent with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped tightly around her somewhat fuller than he remembered frame. Had it been that long since he’d seen her? He tried to remember… probably last Christmas, yesh, that was  over nine months ago.

“Jaina. I’ve missed you.”

“Really? Because I come home to the same house every weekend, Jace.” She disentangled herself with a snicker, and he heaved a sigh, finally able to look her over.

As per usual, Jaina’s hair was about five different colors, smoothed and twisted into three braided buns, one over each ear and another in the back. She was dressed in scuffed black jeans and a faded _Dragonball-Z_ t-shirt he was pretty sure had been his at some point, and appeared to have grown several inches in height as well as finally filling out her lanky frame. Jaina was an adult woman now, there was no denying that, and it was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that the tiny thing he’d held when she was first born had sprouted into this wild creature.

She interrupted his perusal, snapping her fingers in his face. “Mom said you brought someone over?”

“I’ll bet she did,” he grumbled, turning as his sister pushed past him down the hall while he shut and locked the door again. “This is totally a set-up,” he complained to the dark-skinned, amber-eyed young man in the mirror. His reflection stared back, looking just as hopeless as he felt.

“Hi, there.” Poe Dameron’s voice came from up the hall, and Jaina promptly pounced on his unprepared date, grabbing his arm as he stood in the hallway and letting out a low whistle. Poe quirked an eyebrow, but all Jacen could do was shake his head, smirking as he tried to offer Jaina a handshake and she insisted on hugging him instead.

“Ah-ah, little man. We hug in this family.” She had the audacity to turn and wink at her brother as she squeezed the life out of Poe. “Nice catch, by the way.”

Poe chuckled, disentangling himself carefully from the divine force that was Jaina Kallus, smiling but looking a little overwhelmed. Thankfully, Hera came to greet her daughter as well, and the wide-eyed young man hastened into the protection of Jacen’s arm, his own sliding around his waist like an anchor.

“You didn’t tell me your sister would be here, Jace,” he half-whispered in as low a tone as Poe Dameron ever managed. Jaina could no doubt hear him quite clearly, but he didn’t want to freak Poe out even more.

“Because I didn’t know,” he murmured, seeing her turn towards them and clutching at Poe somewhat worriedly. “Jaina, don’t -”

But she was already tilting her head, eyeing Poe up and down like she was the final arbiter of what was good and proper in her family’s house. Jacen supposed she was, now that her father was gone and it was just Hera and her alone. Unlike him, Jaina had presented as an alpha at the early age of fourteen, and also unlike him, she’d had the nerve to stand up to her verbally-abusive father, successfully kicking him to the curb and relocating their mother with Jacen’s covert assistance.

But having runaway and left his mother and sister under the toxic influence of his step-father as a teenager had left him with a lot of lingering guilt. Something he had in common with his pack leader and former employer. Add in the indecent things he’d gotten caught up in before he joined the military to get away from it all, alongside the isolation of his soul-crushing time as a Hunter, and it was difficult for him to face the people who knew him before his life had fallen apart _. Before I_ _became a fuck-up,_ as Solo would say.

People who remembered his fifteenth birthday at Disneyland, who sat patiently through all of his gold medal ceremonies from junior martial arts competitions, and attended the high school graduation where he stood in front of his class and read Dr. Suess.

People who believed in him, even now, willing and ready to welcome him into their lives as much as he could bare.

Which apparently included Poe Dameron, now.

_God dammit, Solo._  

Jaina had never held the past against him, always excited when he came home, if a bit annoyed that he didn’t come around more often. His mother had made it clear that her door was always open to him, but working for Kylo Ren and knowing how his leader felt about his own mother, Jacen had tread lightly. He stopped by for holidays, kept up with them on social media, and sent his mother flowers occasionally for her birthday.

And for a few years, that had been enough. He appreciated the freedom to hit the waves when he wanted, enjoyed the solitude of pitting himself against the wind and sea. But without someone at home to worry about his safety (besides Renata’s silent knowing looks) he had been more than a little reckless, thinking he didn’t much care if he slipped up one day and lost himself to the ocean.

Since Rey had come and uprooted everything, however, he’d seen Kylo changing, less bitter and angry the more he opened up to the people around him, and when he came to dinner and met Poe Dameron earlier in the summer… Well, his mother had a point. He wasn’t getting any younger, and the man was an unfair combination of attractive _and_ charming. He gave the ex-Hunter a reason, and slowly, as he let Poe into his life, he had begun finding other reasons to take interest in the rest of his existence as well. He wasn’t a shapeshifter, but as much as he thought that would be an issue, he had been surprised to find it really wasn’t. Hux and Bazine would have sneered down their noses, and for all that they were a ‘pack,’ he didn’t miss those arrogant bastards one iota. He would have missed Kylo, and maybe Renata. Thankfully, Leia’s ploy had worked out in their favor, though he still hated her for taking the risk, and himself for falling for it.

“So you’re what? Twenty-one?”

“Twenty-five,” Jaina corrected, frowning as Poe chuckled. “What? Why are you laughing at?”

“Twenty-five, about to graduate med school, top of your class, alpha female?” Poe grinned. “You’re buttering me up for Holdo’s internship.”

“I-”

Smiling faintly, he watched as Poe successfully charmed his sister, breaking away to let her loop her arm through his, pulling him into the living room to continue her barrage of reasons why she valued him for more than his reference. Vacillating between somewhat annoyed and somewhat amused, Jacen followed them through the house, taking up a silent position leaning against the doorway, at least until Jaina reached over to clear off the scarves decorating his mother’s hope chest. He knew very well what was in there, and had no intention of letting her bring any of it out.

“Hey, now, no baby pictures!” He stepped down into the room, seating himself beside Poe, firmly draping a heavy arm over the chest’s lid. “Seriously, Jaina. I think Poe’s had enough Syndulla-family orientation tonight.”

“‘Family orientation?’” Poe repeated, blinking at him. Jacen rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Jacen. Your family is great.”

 “I’m glad you think so.” 

“Jacen!” His mother came into the living room with a fucking tray of cookies, and he had to stop himself from launching out the nearest window. When did Hera ever take up _baking_? Probably about the time she started inviting Poe Dameron for dinner on a regular basis. Fuck, they were pulling out all the stops tonight, weren’t they? “Would you like a cup of coffee, Poe?” 

“Oh, no, Hera, thank you. I’ve had a lovely time meeting you both, but I think Jace has a lot on his mind right now. All that stuff going on with Renata and the, uh, convention coming up has him very busy -”

“Oh, yeah!” He groaned, seeing the way his sister’s eyes lit up. Of course, Jaina was planning to go. Of all the years, why did she have to pick _this year_ to break her strict rules against participating in ‘patriarchal gender enforcement?’ “Hey, Jace, I was gonna ask you. Is -”

“No,” he said firmly. Poe slapped his thigh, giving him a glare, but he focused his gaze on his sister. “Jaina, please, you don’t know what’s going on -”

“Then tell me! I’m not a kid anymore, I’m twenty-five now and I’m a frigging alpha! I’ll be a doctor next year, you know that?” She met his eyes furiously, and he did try to stare her down, he put all he could into it, but Jaina was a force of nature. And she’d been staring him down her whole life. “Let me help you, Jacen! Why do you think mom asked me to be here?”

He turned to lay a wary eye on his mother. His kind-hearted, pure human mother, who had somehow weathered two tumultuous relationships with shifters and worked at the side of Leia Organa most of her life, without letting any of it break her down.

Hera gave him a knowing look.

“Why did you come tonight, Jacen?” His mother asked quietly. “I know you and Poe have been dating, but why the sudden choice to be open about it?”

“I -”

It was a question only his mother would be wise enough to ask, and the old rebellion flared in his chest, the inclination to deflect, to keep his private life _private_ , sprang to the forefront of his mind. He closed his eyes to find focus, but they flew open as Poe took his hand, folding his fingers between his and squeezing firmly.

“God dammit, Poe.” 

“What? You think I don’t listen when you talk, Jace?” He met his eyes, even as they flashed yellow briefly, and Jacen sighed again. “Ben Solo does a one-eighty in the few months since he found a mate, and suddenly you guys are talking to each other and you’re learning things you never knew about him and Renata. You like Finn, and Rey, because unlike your former ‘pack’ you actually feel like they’d have your back in a fight, and you like that. You need people to trust, babe. Everyone does, but you especially need them _now_.” 

“Let us help you,” Jaina chimed in. “Please. I’ve seen Skywalker lecture, he has to be stopped!” 

“Is this an intervention or something, Mother?” He tried not sound dismissive, he knew Poe hated it when he deflected serious questions with humor, but their scrutiny was making him uneasy. “You gathered everyone here to tell me I have a - what? - an intimacy problem?” 

“Yeah, actually,” Poe said, still holding onto his hand. “Among other things.”

“This was _your_ idea?” He rounded on his new boyfriend, narrowly examining the other man’s casual shrug.

“Hera brought it up and I thought it was worth a try. You’re easier to access than Kylo and I know Leia’s been trying, but those two can’t be in a room together for five minutes without billing someone for damages, so…” He spread his hands pleadingly. “Look, you said you needed reinforcements, but didn’t have enough people you trust. So, I found some people you can trust. And just so you don’t think it’s one-sided, I have some information on Leia’s plans as well. But only for an equal exchange.” 

“Oh, God damn you all,” he huffed. “I need a minute to think.” 

Jacen closed his eyes again, threading the fingers of his free hand between his ocean-forged dreadlocks and rubbing the side of his head. He could feel a headache coming on, and he desperately wanted to run everything by Kylo, but of course the man had to be out fucking his new girl like a couple of rabbits. If Rey came back pregnant, he was going to have to seriously consider how to invite Poe to move in, or at least bring their relationship more into the open. Let Renata be the third or fifth wheel for a little while.

“Alright, look. Kylo’s… involved in something right now, but I’ll call Finn, okay? I just - I appreciate the offer, Jaina, Poe - I do. I know you’re right…” He opened his eyes to see Poe watching him and smiled faintly. “You’re both right, obviously. But I need to let the others know before I cut you in. If I can’t get Finn, Nat will probably okay it. Alright? Just let me run it by them.”

Poe glanced at Jaina, who grinned and did a fist pump. 

“Yeah, let’s do this! Fuck Luke Skywalker!” 

“Jaina!” 

“Sorry, Mom.” She blinked at her brother innocently. “But we are gonna… totally kick his ass, right? I mean, I promised my roommates I’d at least get a punch in, any time I had the chance.” 

“Wonderful.” Poe squeezed his hand again, and he gave the other man a quick glance. He had no right to look so happy… and absolutely delectable… sitting there on his mother’s pink velour couch like a cat licking cream from its paws. “You owe me, Dameron.” 

“Is that a promise?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to ensure everyone who has read Tooth and Claw that these kittens have 100% vibranium plot armor, so you can go ahead and get attached if you like.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had to shove aside half the furniture in the room, handing over all the pillows and blankets and bedding at Rey’s demand, until she was satisfied with her nest and he was sure there was room for him.
> 
> “Okay.” She gave him a quick nod. “I need my mate now.”
> 
> He folded himself up behind her in the cramped space, tucking her against his chest with his legs bent around her, and resigned himself to an aching back and knees (and cock, but that was an afterthought at this point) until she was snoring heavily in his arms. Then, and only then, did he stretch himself across the mattress to grab her phone, tossed there while he was moving the bed, and find Renata’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... Warning time: ROUGH SEX, SPANKING, PANIC/ANXIETY ATTACK, FAMILY DRAMA...
> 
> In other notes... I love Leia, but families are complicated. My own mom is a wonderful person, but she wasn't a great mom. I still love her, but we have a lot of... conflicting memories.
> 
> Also, I feel it's necessary to point out that I am not implying sex induces panic attacks in any way. Mine tend to happen when I'm tired and over-extended, but there's not always a precipitous event.

Finn was hypnotized by the sight of the tiny kitten in his palm, lapping greedily as he squeezed droplets of formula from the dropper into its little mouth. It took him too long to realize that weird buzzing was his phone, especially given the amount of _purring_ coming from the two women in the room, one of whom was curled up beside him cuddling a sleeping kitten in a contented way that was putting some very strange thoughts into Finn’s head.

“Sorry, it’s Jacen,” he said, excusing himself. Renata glanced up sharply, but gave an understanding nod as he stepped outside and called back. “Hey man, sorry about that, you’ll never guess - wait, what?”

He listened, for a good ten minutes, half of those taken up by Jacen’s sister stealing the phone and demanding he give her contact information for himself as well as Kylo and Renata. It made sense, of course, and Kylo had been speaking to Lando about reinforcements. A plan formed in his head as he paced the darkened hospital hallway, speaking softly so as not to disturb the other residents in the Polymorphic Inpatient Wing. He gave Jacen all the details he could, waiting while he questioned his sister and whoever else seemed to be in residence, though he claimed he was at his mother’s house.

“So your sister’s in pre-med?” That was more ambitious than he expected from someone related to Jacen Syndulla, beach bum extraordinaire, but he remembered the man had been a Hunter and wisely kept his mouth shut. “It’ll be good to have some back up working to counter Skywalker in case Rey’s magic fails. Dr. Holdo has been great, but she can’t take on all this extra work and stay on top of her job at Organa Tech.”

Jacen’s sister had a few choice words regarding Skywalker, and he snickered before he bid goodbye, assuring them he’d talk it over with Renata and send them a text as soon as he could.

The door was cracked when he turned back to the room, and given the expressions of the two women inside, Finn knew at least his part of the conversation had been overheard. He should have known better, he was a cat himself, but panthers were big cats who specialized in sneaking and chasing, not so much hiding and listening. Or maybe that was just a female thing.

“Eh, uh… So that was Jacen…”

“We heard,” Rose said, raising an eyebrow. Renata said nothing, merely looking at him with a patient expression that was oddly terrifying. “So?” Rose prompted again.

“Well, I guess his sister is in town and… You know, Kylo was looking to organize some reinforcements, so… Apparently she’s got friends and…” He glanced around, closing the door firmly before he moved in and sat down beside Rose, hunching his shoulders and leaning in close. “Okay, this doesn’t leave the pack, alright? Renata?”

“You’re in charge, Tico.”

“Right.” Finn swallowed. “You know that guy Jacen’s been getting sort of serious with? Apparently, it’s Poe Dameron - _and - AND -_ ” he had to resort to a sort of yelling whisper to talk over their expressions of shock and surprise - “Poe Dameron is leading a task force set up by Leia Organa of human allies and relatives who are ready to stand with us against any kind of forced vaccine or government-sanctioned ‘cures.’ Jacen’s mother is part of it, too.”

“Oh, wow!” Rose breathed. “Go Leia!”

“That is… a fittingly clever tactic,” Renata conceded. “I knew The Queen Mum was smart, I assume both of Kylo’s parents were fucking geniuses, given what they produced, but… Involving human allies to circumvent her brother’s suspicions… Clever _and_ brave. Ten points for Gryffindor.”

“So, should I give him the go-ahead to tap them in? Pass along our info?” Finn looked to Renata, who cocked her head thoughtfully, giving him a playfully mocking smirk. “Well?”

“Well? Kylo left you in charge for a reason, Finn.” She gestured to the IV in her arm and several monitors trailing through the low neck of her flannel pajama top. “I’m drugged the fuck out. This is your call.”

“Okay, okay.” He breathed in and exhaled in a rush, trying to gather himself. “I knew that, yeah. I’m in charge. Just thought I’d run it by you, get your input.”

“Well, there you go. I think it’s clever. If Kylo has a problem going forward, I’ll back you.” She nodded to him encouragingly, and Rose patted his arm to show her support as well. “I don’t think he will, to be honest.”

“Really?”

“Just one word of advice, kid. Stand by your decision. Get your reasoning squared away in your head, and stick by it.” She met his eyes pointedly before glancing away, granting him respect without a challenge. “We’re in the thick of battle. Can’t have squabbles in command now.”

Finn returned her gesture with a solemn nod, recognizing the implications of the older, combat veteran alpha placing her faith in him. Before, when she sent him and Rey off to find shelter and trusted them with the safety of her mates, they’d had little choice in the matter. This time, she had every right to question him and the time to do it, but remained steadfast. He might not have the same service background, having spent his time in support positions far behind the front line, but he knew what it meant to have his authority supported by the most senior member of his team.

“Thank you, Renata.”

 

Jacen jumped when his phone began ringing only a few minutes after he spoke with Finn, eyeing it doubtfully before he picked up. Given that Kylo was nearly impossible to get ahold of and Renata was apparently busy with her own project in addition to being hospitalized, he hadn’t expected the werepanther to come back with a quick response, much less a call instead of a text.

Poe caught his eye as he answered, watching to gauge his reaction and get an inkling of the response, looking decidedly nervous. He took the other man’s hand lightly, a tentative attempt at reassurance.

“Hey man, did you -”

“Can you and your family meet us somewhere? Lando’s maybe, if it’s not too far?” He didn’t sound tense at all, if anything Finn sounded relieved, and Jacen felt his shoulders relax slightly, too, as the alpha continued in a friendly tone. “If that’s too rowdy for your mom, we can meet at the townhouse -”

He covered the microphone while he glanced around the room, catching his sister and then his mother’s eyes and mouthing ‘Lando’s?’ while Finn went on.

“- we’ll get Renata and Rose on speaker if it’s quiet enough, they’re kinda held up right now. Also I was thinking of asking Ahsoka to join if you know how to contact her -”

“Yeah, I can call Ahsoka. She knows my mom pretty well, it might be easier.” He took a quick inventory, noting the nods all around, and gave Finn his assent. “Lando’s is fine. We can be there in an hour, give or take. My mom’s house is across the bay, so you never know what traffic is gonna be like, but we’ll make haste.”

“I’ll call Ahsoka on the way,” Hera said, getting to her feet to collect her things, ordering Poe to follow in her wake and leaving Jacen and Jaina to lock up the house. She had the tin of cookies under one arm, he noted as they entered the garage.

He explained the plan to Finn, agreeing to stop by and get both of their devices from the townhouse on the way in, then hung up to see his sister giving him a bemused stare from the side of his mother’s SUV.

“What’s up, Jaina?”

“Nothing. You know…” But she refused to continue, just rolling her eyes and gesturing him to the backseat, where Poe was already buckling in. “I called shotgun. Let’s go.”

“Wait -” He grabbed her elbow, glancing to where his mother and his boyfriend were inside the car, his military instincts too strong to let him leave without clarification, especially after what happened to Renata and Rey and Rose. “If anything happens, you cover Mom, okay? Don’t worry about me - or Poe - just grab her and get out, okay?”

“If you think I’m just gonna leave you two -” Her eyes widened as he tightened his grip, forcing her to meet his eyes, though he struggled to maintain his stare. “What the fuck, Jace?”

“Just listen,” he hissed as she jerked her arm away from his grasp. “Skywalker’s already got to one person I care about. He’s got some kind of cocktail of strong suppressants and other drugs packaged with his ‘cure’ that are particularly harmful to alphas. Renata’s been in the hospital for three days under Dr. Holdo’s constant care. I don’t want to see you there, too. Okay? Please, Jaina.”

“I’m not letting that jackass anywhere near me, thank you.” She scoffed. “I can take care of myself, believe it or not, and I don’t need you to tell me to watch out for Mom -”

“I know you can fight. I know,” he made himself meet her eye again, if only briefly. “ _I know_ , alright? I’m asking you _not to_ , because I can’t concentrate if you’re in danger, and no matter how scrappy you are as a fighter, you’re not a killer. So get Mom, get the hell away, and let me do what I’ve been trained to do. Please -”

“I’m not -” she cut off as Hera honked the horn impatiently, reaching for the door handle, and Jacen leaned over and slammed his palm down to hold it closed.

“Promise me, Jaina. Don’t make me involve Mom. You know she’ll side with me.” She cast her eyes down with a sigh, and he looked over her closed expression sadly. It was a cheap thing to say, but he couldn’t afford to hold anything back for the sake of his pride - or his sister’s. “Promise me.”

“Fine,” she spat vehemently, shoving his hand out of the way and yanking the door open. “Just don’t get yourself killed. We just got you back.”

He blinked, slack-jawed in surprise, before the rear passenger door opened and Poe leaned out, beckoning to him impatiently.

“Let’s go, Jacen. Whatever you’re arguing about, it can wait.”

He stared at the back of the headrest in front of him, at Jaina’s rainbow buns bobbing as she chatted amiably with Hera and Poe, and let his mind and thoughts race until they settled and he could pick them apart. He knew she cared, of course. Both of them cared, they had made it perfectly clear anytime he happened by, but he wasn’t prepared for the added weight having his family involved would put on his heart.

He turned his head as Poe’s sudden question caught his ear, just catching that it was something about the convention.

“There’s a lot of open access this year,” she was saying. “My friend Kat is running an adult outreach booth… She could probably use another volunteer, if you want to get involved.”

“Yeah, I mean,” Poe’s dark eyes found his, an open question in them. “If you’re okay with that. I don’t want to invade your space or anything.”

“You want to volunteer to sit at an outreach booth for the Omega’s Ball? For _my_ sake?” He tilted his head, watching the nervous expression spread over the other man’s handsome face.

“Well, I do work for Leia Organa, I know quite a few shifters, but Jaina’s friend is doing a sort of ‘adult education’ thing for, you know, nosey people who just have to have explicit details.” He raised an eyebrow. “You know… Um, I don’t care what people know, but if you’d rather I not -”

“Oh.” He smirked, catching Jaina making a disgusted face in the rearview mirror. “You mean Kat the ‘Sexplanation’ girl?”

He had a vague memory of a lanky blonde woman with a bunch of piercings, and an even vaguer memory of her minus the piercings and a little chubbier from Jaina’s middle school days. She had a radio show now, he knew, in addition to pursuing a graduate degree in something racey that translated basically to 'sex therapy for shapeshifters.'

“Yep, that’s her.” His sister had turned to look at them both, eyes glinting with mischief. “She gets so many calls about polymorphic genders and mating and whatnot, she decided since this is open access and adults only, might as well put herself out there.”

“People are too nosey,” Hera snorted. “She shouldn’t encourage them. Bedroom activities are private.”

“If you want to spend hours answering completely inappropriate questions with grace and sarcasm, have fun,” Jacen chuckled. He couldn’t help but grin. Poe Dameron was _exactly_ the kind of person you wanted around when faced with a nosey public. Charming and witty and handsome in a very traditional way, with a completely disarming smile. “I think you’ll be great at it. You loved the tech convention, even after Rey ditched you.”

“What, really?” Poe gaped at him in surprise, and he heard Jaina giggle. “You’re cool with me just explaining our sex life to random strangers? No catch?”

“I don’t really care what people know about my personal life, if you’re comfortable sharing that sort of thing. As long as I don’t have to be there to hear it.” He shrugged, suddenly feeling his affection for Poe rise to warm his chest. “You really want to come out and tell everyone we’re together? Your work colleagues will be there. Leia, Rey, Dr. Holdo… This is a big step, you know?”

“Yeah, I know, babe. It’s okay.”

“Okay.” He rested his wide hand on Poe’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll give you a good position to help keep an eye on the crowd, too. Plus, if something does happen, it’ll be nice to have someone who’s immune to Skywalker’s poison at hand.”

“Always strategizing,” his boyfriend chided gently. “It’s good to be included this time. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

 

 

This time, when he applied his mouth to her, giving long, slow licks to the faintly swollen pink flesh between her legs, Rey woke up, his name a breathy growl on her lips.

“What time is it?” She stretched an arm out, reaching for the table beside the bed where her phone lie charging, but Kylo caught it and folded it easily behind her back. “I’m sore, Ben,” she chided. “Be gentle, please.”

That wasn’t an outright ‘no,’ or ‘get the fuck off me’ like the last two times he tried to wake her up, so he continued tentatively, shifting his hand on her wrist to hold it more loosely. Rey was on her stomach, her breath coming in shorter gasps as he dipped his tongue into her entrance, tasting the fresh slick that leaked out in response to his attentions.

He groaned appreciatively, diving in deeper, moving his free hand to hold her apart so he could reach more of her, the heel of his palm applying slight pressure in front that Rey slowly began to grind against. She whimpered sharply and he paused, glancing up to catch her looking over her shoulder.

“Should I stop?”

“No.” She groaned as he continued eagerly, releasing her wrist so he could push her thighs apart further, relishing the way her body moved towards him, groggily seeking pressure and stimulation. “Oh, God, Kylo!”

“Good?” He paused, debating on flipping her over so he could tongue the top of her folds more easily, but she seemed to shy away from any direct stimulation there.

“It’s good, just…” To his delight, she pushed up to her knees, grabbing a handful of pillows to pull under her head and arms. “Go slow.”

“Can I fuck you?”

She whined as he withdrew his mouth, waiting for her answer before he went any further. Kylo knew he was pestering her, and he’d tried to be as careful of her shared enjoyment as possible, but his alpha brain was still in partial rut and Rey was there, warm and slick and soft. Self-control was never really his strong point, even at the best of times.

Thankfully, she’d finally cracked and actually chased him off in the early hours of the morning, threatening him with a spray bottle of his mother’s favorite perfume scavenged from the en suite bathroom.

That was four hours ago. He’d watched the clock. She’d only asked for two, so he had been rather proud of himself for waiting, but as much as he was happy to have her consent, he truly didn’t want to cause her harm, and he could tell how exhausted she was. But she nodded eagerly in response to his question, lifting that perfect round bottom and splaying her legs wider for him.

“Yes, please.”

Her desire sent more moisture to ease their joining, he could taste it, hot and sweet in the air, but he tested her with a finger first, carefully easing it in and listening to her breathing catch. He worked it in and out, in a slow rhythm, and Rey breathed out an eager sound.

“Okay?”

“Mmm… yes.” She moved around him, her walls contracting against his finger, and he took this as an invitation to add another, stretching her while he pressed warm, sloppy kisses to her thighs and round, soft cheeks. He couldn’t stop himself from nibbling on her taut skin, and Rey gasped at the touch of his teeth.

“Sorry.”

“Are you really?” Her body twitched as she laughed. “Nevermind, it’s okay. You just surprised me.”

“Hmm,” he tested her with another gentle gnawing just where her thigh met the curve of her backside, and this time she moaned in a more pleasant tone. “You don’t seem to mind.”

“I like it when you bite,” she gasped as he added more pressure, sucking at the skin between his teeth. “Oh, fuck! Do that again!”

He did, and he felt her respond favorably, muscles clenching and pushing against his fingers, her hands digging into the sheet around her head.

“Ben!” His fingers slipped in and out of her easily now, and he growled low, excited at having discovered a whole new part of her body he could lick and mark and lay claim to. “Please… I’m ready for you, alpha.”

He had been waiting for such invitation, and he had to bite his tongue until his mouth flooded with a metallic taste to keep from just pounding her without mercy. Instead he channeled his need to dominate into firm slaps on her ass, enjoying the thoroughly surprised and aroused moans she made in response.

“Oh, Rey.” He groaned in relief as he sank into her slick heat, slowly pushing all the way inside and stilling to give her a light slap on each side with the flat of his palm. “You feel so good. I need you so bad, sweetheart.”

“I know,” she panted. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” He repeated in confusion. “For what?”

“I… I chased you away so I could rest…” She yelped as he brought his left hand down on her in two quick, hard slaps. “I deserve that.”

“Do you? Do you want me to punish you?” He leaned over her, growling against her ear, mouthing her soft skin with more nips as she tilted her head to expose her neck.

“Maybe a little.”

She snarled back at him when he bit down hard, digging his fingers into her hips and pulling her flush against him, a counterpoint to the slow, easy movements he was making within her. This way, he barely separated from her at all, just rocking his pelvis against her and letting his cock stroke deep and full while he sucked a bruise beneath her ear.

“I’ve never left you to endure a heat alone, even for a single hour,” he reminded her. “You chased me away. I’ve been watching the clock tick in the living room and fucking my hand for _four hours_. What sort of punishment do you think you deserve?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she snapped with a shake of her head. “Isn’t that your job?”

“Insolent bitch.”

The words were out of his mouth before he really realised they were there, and for a second he froze.

But then Rey whimpered, and he felt her shift and squeeze him, and his thinking mind was shoved into the passenger seat as his rutting alpha brain took over.

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to fuck you like this, slow and _gentle_ like you asked, for as long as I can stand it. Draw it out nice and long, maybe we can make it a full hour.”

“God, Ben, I don’t know -” He seized her hair, not pulling, just taking it in his hand, but she cut off anyway, waiting.

“Shhh,” he leaned down again to whisper, tugging her head to the side with the lightest pull. “I wasn’t done. You interrupted.”

“I’m sorry, alpha,” she breathed. He could feel her panting with desire and arousal beneath him, fighting to keep herself still, and he smiled, kissing her neck and ear with warm, soothing lips.

“You’re forgiven, this time. Now,” he continued. “I want you to be as still as you can and not make a single sound while I’m fucking you. Move, or make noise and…” He caressed her right ass cheek with a tender palm, then gave it a little, light slap. “The more you screw up, the harder I slap and the harder I fuck you. Got it, omega?”

Rey was still, perfect and motionless beneath him, but her chest heaved with the effort to control her breathing. Unexpectedly, he felt the light touch of her thoughts brushing his, her way of agreeing to his punishment without moving or making a noise.

“I need you to say yes out loud, Rey. Just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will suffice.”

“Yes,” agreed in a clear voice, and he smiled at the crisp consonants.

Asking Rey to be silent during sex when she wasn’t overanxious and in heat was very nearly a punishment for him as well, but he was making this shit up on the spot, and he didn’t have a lot to work with.

“Good,” he purred, releasing her hair and letting it spill over her shoulders, away from the firm hand he placed in the center of her back, holding her steady.

Kylo watched the digital clock on the cable box beneath the TV, keeping half his attention on counting out each minute so he didn’t have to fight as hard to maintain his painfully slow thrusts. Just being inside her was a delight all its own, although his body ached with the impetus to _move_ and his cock twitched each time he felt her walls tense and pulse.

It was an impressive five minutes before he caught her hands flexing in the crumpled up sheets, and he made a _tsking_ sound with his tongue, leaning over her to twine his fingers through hers and move her hands where he could hold them still beside her head.

“I said no movements, Rey. None.” A soft exhalation was her only response, stopping just short of a vocalization, but he felt her tense up in expectation, though her fingers went lax. “Good girl. I’m going to spank you now, twice. I want you to count to three.”

_Fuck!_ This would be a lot easier if she wasn’t so goddamn responsive to being punished. “God, you’re wet already. Count, sweetheart.”

“One.”

Her voice was cool and clear. Almost amused, he thought.

“Two.”

She tensed, but he couldn’t fault her for her instincts. He probably would have done the same.

“Three.”

The first slap evoked nothing but a tightening of her muscles. The second drew a very faint mewl, but he pretended not to notice, instead massaging the redness he left on her skin soothingly.

“Good.” He gripped her hips again, edging into slightly harder, firmer thrusts. “Tell me if this is too much, Rey.”

Again, he sensed her hesitation, then the soft touch of her mind. This time he could feel her pleasure clearly, as well as the increased slick between them, and he grunted in satisfaction, seeking out the clock again.

He had been way to confident in his ability to hold steady, he realised, but he couldn't go back on his word now. The downtime in a rut was almost nonexistent. Could he hold out his knot and come in her twice?Once the idea occurred to him, he couldn’t let it go, and eventually he cursed, pulling out entirely to cool off.

“I want to come inside you twice.” He half-mumbled. “I won’t knot you the first time. You know how fast it comes back when we’re like this. Tell me no, Rey. Yes or no.”

He looked up to see her face, where she lay on the pile of pillows with her arms beneath her, looking unreasonably relaxed though her muscles twitched and her chest quaked with the effort of each breath. Her eyes were still, somehow, regarding him with a touch of amusement sparkling around her wide pupils.

“‘Yes or no?’” She gave a slight shake of her head. “You’re ridiculous. The answer is yes, but before you ruin me, check my bag in the bathroom. Renata gave me some of that… stuff.” He made a face and she giggled. “Don’t worry, it’s unopened. Also, I’d like you to get your handcuffs, please.”

He stared at his mate as if she’d grown horns. Heat Rey was so anxious and needful, she melded so perfectly with his rut the last time, he forgot that she wasn’t going to bend for him the same way now. No, his Rey might be an omega, but she certainly wasn’t bending for him, giving him orders and watching him with that confidant, slightly condescending smile.

“Go on, what are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know,” he shook himself, scrambling to get the things she’d asked for - politely demanded, really - returning to let her cuff him, draping the small cord with the key around her neck.

“I can’t really spank you like this,” he pointed out.

“We’ll save it for another time. I’ll just have to keep a count of what I owe you.” He watched as she settled herself back down, wriggling to get comfortable and then jerking her lovely ass expectantly. “Come on!”

“Silent and still. And you’d better remember what you owe me,” he said, confidently positioning himself with a helpful bit of bottled lubrication. “Ready? Yes or -”

“Yes, alpha.”

He slid into her welcoming heat so smoothly he almost climaxed on the first thrust, but he gathered himself, intent on seeing how well she would keep still in the heights of her own pleasure.

Of course, Kylo should not have been surprised to find her tensed and shaking, sweat pooling on her neck and the small of her back, determined to keep as silent and still as possible while he drove into her, harder for each little betraying whimper, until her control snapped like a broken wire. She came _hard_ , with a beautiful, broken sob that pulled him with her, his low moan triumphant and feral, overwhelming her quiet, desperate gasps.

Rey’s small body shivered beneath him, and her muscles refused to hold her up any longer after such abuse. She collapsed with a little, pained moan, and something about it struck him the wrong way. Even in his post-orgasmic haze, the alpha in him recognized a sound of true distress, and he was glad he’d stopped himself from knotting as he quickly pulled her onto her back and saw the glassy look of fear in her eyes.

Instinct took him over and he jumped to his feet, slightly dizzy but ready to defend her against whatever it was that had her frightened. But as he calmed and gathered his wits, not seeing any immediate threats, noting the bedroom door was still locked and he didn’t hear anything beyond the sounds of their ragged breathing, he turned back to Rey worriedly.

“Sweetheart, what is it? You look terrified.” She reached for him desperately and he went immediately, pulling her into his arms and making soothing nonsense noises.

“I need -” she swallowed, looking around again, and he was struck by another wave of fear-scent from her. Which couldn’t be right, he was right here. Was she afraid of him? Had he hurt her?

“Rey? Did I hurt you? Are you alright?”

“No, you didn’t… I need my medicine. In my bag.” He hands fumbled with key to his handcuffs, and after several shaky, frustrated attempts, she was a sobbing mess. “I can’t - I’m sorry -”

“It’s alright, Rey, hush. I’ll just Change, okay?”

Changing was dangerous during a hormonal phase, but Kylo knew himself well enough to trust that he would be fine for the few seconds it took. With a rush of air and a shake of thick black fur, he was free of the handcuffs and dashing to the bathroom, easily regaining his human form without incident. Rey’s bag was full of crap, and he dumped the whole thing unceremoniously on the countertop, grabbing the prescription bottle and running her a glass of water from the tap.

She was curled up between the bed and the wall when he returned to the room, wrapped up in his discarded shirt and the comforter from the bed, eyes wide and frantic.

“Kylo?” She inhaled as he came towards her. “Where did you go?”

“To get your pills.” He sat on the opposite side of the bed, reaching across to hold out one of the little white tablets and the water cup. “Here.”

Rey eyed his hand warrily and he rattled off a flurry of mental curses. Completely forgetting that she was telepathic, and in her state of terror, her shields were completely nonexistent. The look in her eyes shot him clear through the chest, and he quickly withdrew, concentrating on his deep and unfaltering adoration of her instead of his worries.

“Shhh… I love you, Rey. I’m not here to hurt you.” He caught sight of his flannel draped around her and smiled. “You’re wearing my shirt.”

“I like it. It smells safe,” she defended.

“I smell like that, too, sweetheart.” He put the water down on the bedside table and extended his wrist for her to smell. “See? Go ahead.”

Tentatively, she edged forward, just far enough to nose his fingers, and Kylo breathed a sigh of relief when her whole demeanor changed. Her eyes fell on the mating scar on his wrist and she leaned into him, lapping at it with tentative strokes of her small tongue.

“Oh.” She looked around her, still unwilling to crawl out of the nest she’d made of the sheets and blanket, though she had thankfully accepted him. “Will you come hold me?”

“I can’t fit down there, Rey, but if you take your pill, I’ll figure out something.”

He was more than concerned about the extent of her nesting behavior, and the way she acted mistrustful even of him, but Kylo couldn’t risk her picking that up so he buried it as deeply as he could. Instead he visualized holding her, wrapping his arms around her smaller body and the pleasure of tucking his face into her neck and repeated the image like a mantra.

“You promise to hold me?”

“Absolutely.”

Nodding, she leaned forward and opened her mouth, and he quickly grabbed the pill and put it on her tongue, holding out the water for her to sip as well. Apparently in her panic she had reverted to very deep-set, animalistic nesting behavior, and while he’d seen her have an attack once before, it was nothing like this. This was something else, something he intended to call Dr. Holdo about as soon as he got Rey back to being a functional human being.

He had to shove aside half the furniture in the room, handing over all the pillows and blankets and bedding at Rey’s demand, until she was satisfied with her nest and he was sure there was room for him.

“Okay.” She gave him a quick nod. “I need my mate now.”

He folded himself up behind her in the cramped space, tucking her against his chest with his legs bent around her, and resigned himself to an aching back and knees (and cock, but that was an afterthought at this point) until she was snoring heavily in his arms. Then, and only then, did he stretch himself across the mattress to grab her phone, tossed there while he was moving the bed, and find Renata’s number.

_Text back, I have a silent 911._

 

_Wtf??_

 

_Rey had the worst panic attack I’ve ever seen._

_Just got her to sleep._

_I am sitting on the floor between the bed and the wall with all the bedding down here with us. Help._

 

_You sure she’s not knocked up?_

 

_Possible, but unlikely._

_She doesn’t smell like it._

_Unless it happened like fifteen minutes ago._

 

_Fuck._

_Wait._

_During?_

 

_After. Sort of._

 

_Ok, no details._

_I paged Amilyn._

 

It was two hours before he got a response, and Kylo dozed fitfully, aware of every slight movement Rey made, every vague noise of sleep she made. He grabbed the phone the second it vibrated, knowing if he could feel it buzz across the floor then so could she.

 

_Solo. What did you do to that poor girl?_

 

_Nothing. She was fine._

_That’s not how panic works!_

_There’s no cause I can think of._

 

_She used her wild magic? Magic takes a toll._

_I assume it worked the way she described._

_How many times have you had sex in the last 24 hours?_

 

He started to count, glancing at the time, and realized he might have, actually, fucked up. Rey wouldn’t blame him, he wasn’t in an entirely sane state of mind, but he was older by almost a decade and had far more experience in the realm of magic than his young, overconfident mate.

Kylo raked a hand down his face, eyeing the text conversation and trying to come up with an accurate answer. Assuming everything that might count, although it had been more than twenty-four hours since she cast her spell, they hadn’t done a lot of sleeping… or eating… or…

 

_Fuck._

_Just send someone to drive use to the hospital._

_She might be dehydrated._

_I didn’t realize…_

 

_You will BOTH prepare to be admitted overnight!_

_Unless you fed and watered yourself and neglected your omega._

_I know you didn’t, Solo._

 

“Fuck!” Rey stirred in his arms at the sound of his voice, blinking up at him in confusion as she took in their state of disarray. “Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay.”

“Why are we… on the floor?” She looked around, and Kylo sighed in relief to see some sense come back into her eyes, though Rey looked thoroughly embarrassed. “I… I made a pillow fort, didn’t I? Brilliant. Brilliant, Rey, yeah… Just… Fucking amazing, really.”

“Stop that.” He could sense her train of thought, apparently she hadn’t gathered her wits enough to cut him off, and he tightened his arms around her fiercely. “Don’t you dare run from me. We both fucked up, it’s a little embarrassing, yeah, but we’re going to get through it, okay?”

“Excuse me? What exactly have _you_ done, Ben?” She gestured at the room around them. “Alphas don’t resort to panic-induced nesting last I checked.”

She seemed to notice he’d moved the furniture to get close to her, and paused her tirade, gazing up at him in unfounded awe. “Did you… did you climb in here to be with me?”

“Well, you wouldn’t come out and you wanted me to hold you, so… Is there something else I should have done? Rey?” He could see tears forming on her dark lashes and leaned around her, desperate to catch her expression. “Rey, baby, sweetheart, what is it? What can I do?”

“N-Nothing, you -” She wriggled free of his hold, only to turn and throw her arms around his neck, sobbing openly, her slim shoulders shaking. “Ben. You’re - you’re perfect - how did you know?”

“How did I know what?” He was completely lost, searching for a reason for her to be crying when her tone of voice was so overwhelmingly happy. “Why are you crying, baby?”

“ _You stayed._ ” She nestled her head against his shoulder again, practically radiating contentment. “ _Ben._ ”

 

Rey was asleep again when his mother and very hesitant Ishida Noel arrived, Leia unlocking the bedroom door and going to the living room while he hurried into his jeans and sneakers after searching fruitlessly for socks and underwear and giving up. He found Rey’s panties at least, and managed to get her roused enough to put them on and actually get her arms through the sleeves of his shirt so he could button it.

He wrapped her in the bed sheet and blanket, hoping the scent would comfort her if she awoke in a strange car (and not giving a damn how his mother or Ishida felt about it), and quickly stuffed the rest of their necessities in Rey’s bag before climbing into the backseat of his mother’s Land Rover.

He wanted to hold her, but safety necessitated otherwise, although he kept one hand somewhere on her at all times during the slow drive to the hospital.

“I called Dr. Kanata,” Ishida told him quietly. “Holdo is busy with her research and Renata’s care, and you don’t really need a gene therapist to be treated for exhaustion and dehydration.”

“That’s fine.”

“I trust Maz,” Leia said warmly. “She was an old friend of Han’s -”

“Yeah, that’s great, Mom, but half the country knows Han Solo, I’m sure they weren’t BFFs forever.”

“I was just trying to make conversation,” Leia retorted. “Honestly, you kids! I can’t believe you’d do something so stupid! Did you even open the refrigerator, Benjamin? It’s not like you were stranded in the desert!”

“Oh, thanks, I wasn’t feel guilty enough, that extra topping really kicked it up a notch! Do you think before you say things, Leia?” He was angry at himself, but couldn’t let it out for fear of upsetting Rey, now his mother had kindly offered herself as an outlet and he was too stressed not to take the opportunity to vent some steam. “I’m sure the perfect Han Solo never did any drugs or overextended himself on stage, you never took that trip to Tahoe where Chewie had to come bail you out of a snowstorm, no nothing like that ever!”

“It was a blizzard, Ben, we were there for five days with no power -”

“They had weather forecasts in the ‘80’s, Leia!”

“Will you stop calling me that?! I am your _mother_! I almost died giving birth to you!” Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “We tried so hard to have another baby, your father wanted a girl so badly and it’s risky for an alpha to get pregnant - I had three miscarriages -”

“Good! I’m glad you didn’t bring any more kids into the world to fuck up!”

That was probably too far, but fuck it. The woman was harboring a potential fucking  _terrorist_ because he happened to be her precious twin brother, and all she would tell him was to make his preparations and have  _faith._

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Her beringed hand clenched into a fist, waving threateningly. “When we get out of this car I will slap you to pieces, you ungrateful little brat! Sometimes I wish you’d been someone else's kid!”

“ME, TOO!!”

“If you’re both quite finished,” Rey said in her iciest tone. “Leia, you missed the exit. And Ben, I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. I’m very glad you’re alive, and I’m grateful to whatever circumstances brought you into existence.”

“Well, shit!” Leia looked around at the interstate signs irritably. “How in Hell do I get back to -”

“Just take the next exit and go up two blocks, then make a left at the light,” Kylo directed, perfectly calmly.

Having hurt each other as much as possible, they were both left somber and quiet, the anger leeched out as the shock of the verbal battle resounded through the car.

“Thank you," Leia offered politely.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry. Mother." 

She sighed, gently resting her forehead against the steering wheel as they waited at an intersection, gathering herself with deep breaths.

"I know, son. For what it's worth, so am I."

"Thank you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think he's noticed he's Ben now and just accepted it? Or maybe Rey can just call him whatever she wants and he doesn't care....


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is there anything else?” Rey looked to Anakin, waiting for an answer, and he shook his head slightly.
> 
> “Not for you, there isn’t. I’d like to talk to my grandson alone for a while.”
> 
> “You sure about that, old man?” Said grandson scoffed, eyeing up Anakin like he was trying to decide if it was worth throwing the first punch.
> 
> “Okay, ‘like’ is the wrong word, but… Regardless of how you or I feel, we do need to talk, so get over it, kiddo.” He bowed his head once to Rey. “Thank you, for putting up with all of… us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: More Skywalker drama. Minor mention of needles and hospital settings and emergency contraceptives.

Of course, the first thing she sensed was Kylo, his agitated scent and scathing tone biting through whatever sedative the emergency room had given her.

“Where the hell is -”

“I’m right here,” Rey mumbled, forcing her eyes to open. Her head was absolutely  _ pounding _ , a side effect of dehydration she remembered from being locked in a room for unbearably long hours as a young child. “Ben -”

There was light, too much of it, and it took her a moment to realise he was holding his hand out to her, though something about it seemed odd. Rey took it, frowning, and grunted as Kylo’s considerable strength hauled her to her feet, his hand sliding around her waist to steady her as she stumbled.

“Where are we? This isn’t the hospital…” 

Blinking, she looked around, trying to make sense of the strange, but hauntingly familiar setting, the light bright, but too white to be sunlight, reflecting off of thick mists rolling over a dark flooring… Moving her feet, she noticed she was barefoot, and her toes slid on a caving surface that she recognized to be sand.  _ Black _ sand.

“Are you alright?” Kylo eyed her worriedly and she nodded, but grabbed his hand as he made as if to let go of her. “I think this is part of the spirit world. I’ve never been here with someone else, though. Unless you’re just a dream.”

“If you were dreaming of me, I have a feeling I’d be wearing something besides jeans and your old shirt,” she smirked at his raised eyebrow. “Or maybe  _ just _ the shirt.”

He stepped in closer, eyes dropping from her face to trail down over her lips and neck, and his hands found the hem of her shirt hungrily. “Well, if it  _ is _ a dream -”

“Whoa, whoa, okay - it  _ is _ a dream, but you’re not alone, kids!” 

Rey flushed as she saw the roguish young man walking up behind Kylo, one hand scrubbing through his rumpled blond hair in a familiar gesture that made her smile inwardly. 

“Sorry to shut you down, but we need to talk,” Anakin explained as Kylo turned on his heel to face him. Perhaps unconsciously, he had placed himself solidly between his grandfather and Rey, and Anakin Skywalker chuckled. “I’m not going to attack, Ben.”

“It’s Kylo -” He glowered as his grandfather waved him away and cut him off.

“Okay, sure, Kylo.” He nodded at Rey. “Nice to see you again. I take it he’s treating you alright?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?  _ Of course _ , I’m treating her well!” Kylo started to snarl, stopping only because Rey elbowed him sharply in the ribs as she came to stand beside him.

“Stop it, you’re wasting time.” She nodded to Anakin in a friendly greeting, but remained at her mate’s side, if only for his comfort. “I suppose there’s something you want to say to us?”

“Ah. Well, yes, actually.” He responded to Rey taking charge of their meeting about as well as Kylo would have, his expression startled and slightly confused, but he gathered himself quickly. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you need to work with Leia. At least for now. I won’t deny, she’s done her share of misdeeds, but -”

“ _ Misdeeds? _ She left me alone in the house with Luke when I was just a kid! I assume you know what happened there!” He started to cross his arms, but gave in when she insisted on taking his hand, though he held on a little tightly. “Luke  _ attacked _ me. Her own son! And she still protected him - she’s protecting him now, although I guess you know that.”

“Kylo,” Anakin sighed, gesturing to the same fallen log nearby that Rey and Padmè had visited on while she was in limbo after Hux tried to kill her. “Will you just sit for a minute?”

“Fine. But I am not apologizing to her -”

“And I’m not asking you to.” Kylo sat, pulling Rey down beside him, and Anakin leaned up against a higher part of the tree on his other side. “That’s your right. Your mother should know, she never forgave me, either.”

“You didn’t know her. What was there to forgive?”

“Well, for one thing, it was my meddling that resulted in your grandmother’s death. I’ve never forgiven myself for that, though, so I don’t expect Leia will.” He frowned slightly. “Luke seemed to, but… It’s hard to know what goes on in that man’s head -”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Poor, pitiful Luke -”

“You don’t know his history, you can’t imagine what his life has been like -”

“I don’t care! Jesus Christ, I hate this family,” with a firm push, Kylo threw himself to his feet, turning to face his grandfather with his back to the swirling mists around them. “You’re all fucking insane, you know that?”

“Hmm,” Anakin was wisely silent, but his expression held a clear response that made Rey’s eyes roll.

“You’re both ridiculous. I can’t fathom how there’s enough room in your heads for all that alpha ego.” She crossed her arms, staring down Kylo and then Anakin. “Ben’s right, for the record, but you might as well finish what you brought us here to say.”

“Oh,  _ she _ gets to call you Ben, but your family -”

“I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL LEAVE RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW!!!!”

“Alright, alright!” The older Skywalker took a deep breath, one hand held over his eyes as if he needed darkness to help him think. “Look, despite giving him a place to live, Leia doesn’t trust Luke either. And if you know your mother - don’t look at me like that, I know you  _ do _ \- you know she’s good at scheming and organizing people. She’s a politician, it’s what they do. Whatever Luke does while he’s there, she’s got eyes and ears on him, trust me. And give her a little credit, she’s not stupid. She knows he’d smell a shapeshifter from a mile off, but she’s resourceful. Why use a shifter when she’s got a half a dozen loyal humans working under her?”

“Oh, sure! Like I trust that idiot Dameron to keep tabs on Luke? Please. You’re wasting our time,” Kylo sneered, but his volume had dropped considerably, and he nodded for Anakin to continue. “Is there anything else?”

“Rey’s magic.” She looked up when Anakin said her name, meeting his shadowed blue eyes, the same color as Luke Skywalker’s. “It may be wild-born, but anyone can learn it. There’s a bit of a trick to teaching it, but otherwise - your friend, the wildcat - her mate can learn it. If she’ll allow it, anyway…”

Kylo was chewing the inside of his cheek to keep from spitting out more aggression, Rey could tell from the way his shoulders hunched inward and tensed, but he kept his silence.

“What’s the trick?”

“You and he need to be in your wolf forms. You’ll have to sort of… put it into his head. Like you do when you speak telepathically.”

She nodded. That was simple enough, she knew from experience Ishida was somewhat easier to reach mentally than the others, and he had a talent for magic.

“Well, you can try and talk them into it, but you know…” Kylo blinked, then shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s none of my business.”

“Is there anything else?” Rey looked to Anakin, waiting for an answer, and he shook his head slightly.

“Not for you, there isn’t. I’d like to talk to my grandson alone for a while.”

“You sure about that, old man?” Said grandson scoffed, eyeing up Anakin like he was trying to decide if it was worth throwing the first punch.

“Okay, ‘like’ is the wrong word, but… Regardless of how you or I feel, we do  _ need _ to talk, so get over it, kiddo.” He bowed his head once to Rey. “Thank you, for putting up with all of… us.”

  
  


Even under a haze of anti-anxiety medications, no creature with sensitive hearing and a keen nose could sleep for long in a hospital, with an IV in one hand, blood pressure cuff on the opposite arm, and a half-open door letting in all the light and sound from outside. 

Rey slept fitfully for the first two hours after waking from the spirit dream, but she was wide awake after the tech came in to check their vitals, watching Ben snore softly, folded up on what looked like a very uncomfortable old floral-patterned couch, dragged as close to her bed as possible. His head had been resting against her arm when she woke, but she had since stuffed pillows under it and was now stroking her fingers soothingly through his tangled, unwashed hair. He had a needle in one of his large hands, attached to a second machine quietly dripping with a saline solution, and Rey wondered why he didn’t have his own bed.

Probably because the stubborn idiot had refused to leave her side, she reflected. A part of her was grateful for that, to see her alpha so intent on protecting her, and she had to admit, she most likely  _ would _ have panicked if she woke up and he was gone. But she didn’t want to leave him in such an uncomfortable position, and tried valiantly to shake him awake so she could convince him to trade places with her.

“Ben? Kylo?”

_ Hey, idiot! Wake up! _

Nothing. Either he and Anakin were having a  _ very _ long heart-to-heart, or time moved very differently in the spirit world. She even tried tracing his ear with the barest edge of a finger, knowing how sensitive he was, but he only growled and his skin turned to fur under her hand, the soft velvet tip twitching wildly before resuming its human shape. 

“I see you didn’t have any more luck than I did.” Rey looked up at the sound of Leia’s voice in the door, offering a faint smile in exchange for the coffee she set in front of her. “I hope you’re not pregnant, there’s just no point in decaf coffee.”

“I’m not,” she said simply, rather than explain the details. “Thank you.”

The ER doctor had given her a shot of suppressants and contraceptives even though she had an implant, after seeing the look of absolute horror on both their faces when she mentioned how fertile an alpha in rut could potentially be. She was somewhat uncomfortable now, the extra medication kick-starting her cycle with a vengeance, but it was better than waiting a week to find out if their biology had overruled their efforts. 

“Do you want to sit?” She offered as Leia stood at the foot of her bed, looking torn and hesitant. “I don’t think he’s going to wake up.” 

There was a wobbly little chair on the opposite side of the bed, beneath the powered-off television. Rey gestured at it with a nod, assuming her mate wouldn't want to share his seat, even while he slept, and Leia dragged it over closer so they could talk quietly.

“He won’t wake up until he's ready. I remember when he crashed like that as a boy, Han or Chewie had to carry him. There’s no moving him now.” She chuckled, settling herself into the small chair. “I don’t know how he does it. I’ve always been a light sleeper.”

“Most of the time, he is too,” Rey sighed. She was not about to mention Anakin’s little forced field trip for their dreaming selves, which she assumed was keeping him from waking. “But sometimes he just… won’t stop until his body overrules him.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Leia eyed her son fondly, her expression soft now that he couldn’t immediately trigger her ire. “He was my shadow until he was about thirteen. We were never as close after his First Change. But before that, we were inseparable. Used to drive Han nuts.”

“What happened when he was thirteen?” Ben had said something about Luke attacking him when they were left alone, but she hadn’t had the chance to ask for details. “That seems a bit... early for it.”

“Ah. That was a bad year. My brother was… going through a hard time. The hospital wouldn’t release him without someone willing to take responsibility, so Han and I let Luke move in. It was only supposed to be temporary, until the therapists cleared him, but it ended up a lot longer than we’d intended.” Leia sipped her coffee, then peered down into the cup, gathering her thoughts. “I don’t really know what happened. Neither of them wanted to talk much. You know that snowstorm Ben mentioned in the car?”

Rey remembered almost every word of that conversation, so she nodded silently, hoping to encourage Leia to continue. Kylo never talked about his past beyond Snoke and Hux and to disparage Luke. The most she had picked up were bits and pieces of a life lived from one extreme to another between his famous, constantly arguing parents.

“Well… Ben was home on break for the holidays. We thought he would be okay for a few days, it was a big house and he had Chewie. Luke was living in the guest house out back, there was no reason for them to have to interact.” She looked up again, and Rey did her best to keep her expression neutral, though she had her own thoughts on that. “Of course we knew there would be some snow, but it was too late to cancel without paying for the first night, and Han hated to spend money he didn’t need to - we could have, you know, it’s not like we had to save every penny - he grew up poor, and I guess it never leaves you. So, we left Ben with plenty of money and food in the fridge and he had his games and all those books, and… He was thirteen. He didn’t really want our attention, even when we were around. I thought he would be fine for a few days.”

“And then you got stuck,” Rey said, remembering from the car. “Chewie came to get you, and Ben was home alone with Luke.”

“Luke had no reason to go in the house,” Leia said irritably. “But he was always like that, too curious for his own good, always trying to do what he thought was right, and push his morals on other people. He’d been involved with Anakin’s cult for a while then, but I had no idea… Of course, he had to try and convert my son.”

“What cult?” Rey frowned. Kylo had talked about Luke and his grandfather being involved in some shady genetic experiments in Russia, but he’d never mentioned any kind of… religion… involved. For that matter, neither had Anakin. “Your father started a cult?”

“Oh, yes. The Knights of Fenris. Fenris being their wolf-progenitor-god, from the Norse mythology. It’s making a come back, so I hear.”

Rey blinked. Was that where Kylo had gotten his ideas about calling his pack knights? A sort of rival order, working against the cultists?

She had heard of the Fenris-worshipping, pro-shapeshifter superiority nutcases, but mostly in a historical text, as they had been heavily involved behind the scenes of World War II. But Rey couldn't believe they were still in existence, and in America of all places! Had Luke himself started that? But no - the way he’d spoken made it sound like he  _ hated _ alphas, and the Fenris cult held them in the highest regard. He must have had a change of heart in between, from one extreme to another.

Either way, she knew Ben would make it his mission to stop Luke for good this time, and Rey intended to fight by his side, knowing the others would as well. The Knights of Ren indeed.

She eyed Leia suspiciously. 

“I’m sorry, but… why are you letting him stay there again? Clearly he’s still deeply disturbed and belongs in jail, or at the very least an in-patient psychiatric facility.” Her fingers tightened in the blanket around her, and she met Leia's alpha gaze unflinching. “What he did to Renata is just… I know she doesn’t exactly have a stellar record, but she put herself in danger for me and… I have no intention of letting him and whatever cult he's involved in get away with it.”

“I know. Believe me, I don’t either. I thought he’d finally seen the error of his ways,” she sighed, looking away in defeat. “When he first came to stay, it was apology after apology, and then he started reading my books, doing internet research on secondary genders and social conventions… I didn’t realized he’d just flipped from one side to another, with the same fanaticism. Now it’s ‘alpha male privilege is the real enemy’ and he’s on a crusade to end secondary gender presentation completely.”

Rey frowned, not sure how to respond to that revelation. Honestly, it sounded like a cause she might have sympathized with, had she not seen how violent and untested his methods were. Her eyes alighted on the coffee, and she sipped it, grateful for the excuse to cover up the lengthening break in conversation. But Leia Organa had been a politician and an alpha for far too long to overlook the meaning of her uncharacteristic pause.

“You agree with him,” she said darkly.

“No. I do think it’s a… I think shapeshifter society as whole has that issue, yes. But I don’t think using genetics to eliminate genders, or attacking alphas and omegas with dangerous cocktails of drugs is the answer, and I’d never give my child a vaccination against it.” She looked up, meeting Leia’s gaze again. “What happened when Ben was thirteen? What’s his version?”

“We drove all night to get back, we didn’t even stop other than to get gas. I was worried, you know, Chewie had warned Ben to stay away from Luke, but it was Han who really pushed us to get back.” She paused, her eyes focusing on where Rey’s fingers smoothed over her son’s head, almost enviously. “Ben was waiting for us in the garage. He had Han’s gun out, and he’d shoved the washing machine up against the interior door. I’ve never seen anyone so terrified in my life. He told us he’d seen his uncle going through my office late at night, talking to himself with notepads and weird cult pamphlets everywhere. He never confronted Luke, he just went back to his room and closed and locked the door, but he woke up again in the middle of the night. Luke was standing over his bed with a…”

“...a syringe.” Ben’s voice was hoarse, but clear. 

One large hand came up to wrap around the hand in his hair, keeping a hold of it as he sat up to face his mother, his dark expression somewhat spoiled by the imprint of the pillows over his cheek.

“Say it, Mother. Your precious twin tried to test his home-brewed concoction on your thirteen-year-old son.”

“Yes, alright. He was standing over Ben with a syringe.” Leia sounded exhausted suddenly, but Rey couldn’t find it in her to sympathize much.

“What did you do?” She asked breathlessly. Kylo slipped an arm around her, pulling her as close as he could get her to his chest. “Ben?”

“I Changed. I don’t remember much after that. Luke’s lucky he survived.”

Rey almost wished he hadn’t, but her heart broke for the thirteen-year-old boy who would then have had to face the fact that he killed his own family member. Syringe or no, she knew Kylo well enough to understand the burden it would have left him with, regardless of whether or not he deemed it deserving.

“When I could think again, I was in my parents’ room. I guess it makes sense for a kid who’s just Changed for the first time, running to wherever smelled safe. I don’t know where Luke went. I just grabbed some of my dad’s clothes and his pistol and hid in the garage, praying my parents would get home before he found me.”

Rey could feel his jaw move as he swallowed down more hateful words, reining himself in, and she made a soft noise of comfort, laying her free hand against his chest. 

Kylo glanced down with wide eyes, as if he’d forgotten she was there, or was maybe just surprised at the unfamiliar gesture, and kissed the top of her head firmly. “I was out there for hours, just waiting. I couldn’t really get to a phone or anything, and I was… miserable. Luke managed to get me with some of his… concoction, and I was sick and delirious.”

“The garage was a mess,” Leia added. “We had to have the whole thing redone. You destroyed Han’s Aston Martin.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot the true tragedy of all the money I cost you.”

“Ben, please! That’s not what I -”

“Finish the story. Tell Rey what you did, when you came home and found your son had been poisoned by your own brother!” Kylo sounded slightly manic, although Rey didn’t blame him. She took a deep breath, opening her shields enough to sense his mind and projecting love and warmth and her unswerving loyalty, and his hand squeezed her hip in acknowledgment. 

“Tell her,” he said in a calmer tone. “Please, Mother.”

“Alright, fine.” Leia inhaled again, not looking at either one of them, though Rey continued to watch her. “Han insisted he needed medical treatment, but… I was afraid of what would happen to Luke, if we gave the authorities Ben’s side of the story. We fought bitterly, I even tried to command him, but he and Chewie got Ben in the car and left. So I went to find Luke, and he told me… His version. That he heard noise from outside and came in to find Ben rampaging through the house. He gave him… something to calm him… but he was afraid to get too close to a newly-Changed alpha.”

“Right. Luke was afraid of me.” Kylo snorted. “That’s why I barricaded myself away from him. Sure.”

“I was trying to get him to tell me what the hell he gave you!” Leia rolled her eyes. “You and I used to be so close, do you remember that? And then one thing happened, and suddenly I might as well be the daughter of the devil -”

“Aren't you?” Kylo interrupted, his voice low. “Anakin Skywalker's gene meddling killed your mother, and you've never forgiven him. Even when Luke told you how he destroyed his own work to save his son - your precious twin - you never believed it. How is it you can forgive Luke so easily, and still hold a grudge against a dead man you've never met?”

“Anakin was vile, you have no idea - Luke is mentally ill!” Leia's voice took on a shrill edge, and Rey winced. “He needs me -”

“I  _ needed _ you!” Kylo shouted back. “You've practically begged to be a part of my life for years, but whenever I let you in… you just fuck it up! Why can't you take my side for a single fucking second,  _ Mother _ ?”

Rey could feel his lips moving, his breath hot on her scalp, and her heart ached at the pain she sensed in his heart. Everyone had warned her how dangerous this man was in his anger, but she had never seen it, or at least not the full-on meltdown he was supposedly capable of, and now she understood why. It wasn’t  _ anger _ that made Ben Solo lash out, it was  _ pain _ .

“Stop making this about sides!” Leia bit back, just as furiously. “Luke is my twin brother -”

“I am your  _ son _ . You think I don't remember when we were close? I loved you. I trusted you,” he said in a halting whisper. “Do you think I wanted Han, or Chewie, or Dr. Kanata? I paced around in that garage, crying and half-crazy, and I kept telling myself ‘Mom will be home soon.’ “Mom will protect me. She won’t let Luke near me ever again.’ ‘I just have to wait for my  _ mother _ .’ And what did you do? You left me with Han, and went straight to Luke. You abandoned me!”

Leia made a small sound, a sort of shuddering whine, and Rey realised she was sobbing, her weathered, beringed hands covering her face.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Ben - I made a mistake. I don't know what else there is to say! Please -”

“No. Just leave. I don't want to do this right now.”

His mother only nodded, getting up from her chair and quietly gathering her coat and purse and coffee, still crying softly and she glanced up at Rey.

“You’ll let me know when you get home?”

“I’ll text you.”

She paused at the door, looking back over them both, and Rey met her gaze unflinchingly, keeping her expression neutral, but unsympathetic.

“Thanks for the coffee, Leia,” she said with a little wave, reminding her that she was in the act of leaving.

“Of course.”

Leia nodded, blinking back tears, and made her escape, pulling the door closed behind her. Rey braced herself as much as she could against the onslaught of emotion coming from her mate, the raw scent of old wounds, rage and betrayal and disgust, pouring from him alongside the tears.

She said nothing, both because there was nothing to say and because she didn’t need to. She just held him, stroking his face and hair, making soothing noises, letting him bury his nose and face in her hair and inhale her scent. Slowly, the sobs ceased, but he trembled still, his mouth opening on her neck and licking, sucking,  _ biting _ .

“Ben!” She hissed in pain.

“Sorry,” he mumbled his apology even as he licked at the wound, still sore and sensitive from the day before when he’d taken her so roughly under the effects of her spell. “I didn’t think about it… I just…”

“I know,” she whispered into his hair. “God, how did we even find each other? I know I’m possessive and needy, but…”

“You're not nearly as bad as I am.” He chuckled. “And to be completely honest… I love it, Rey. I love hearing you defend me, how you always know when I need you to soothe me, the way you whine and grab me when I try to get out of bed before you're awake...”

“Do I really? Whine and grab at you?”

“It's really… sweet, actually.” He pulled away from her neck to lock eyes with her. “Sometimes I worry that you're not as invested in this - I know, I know, it's stupid - but then you do these little things and I think maybe you're the only person in the world who really gets it.”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not going anywhere, Ben.” She smiled as he looked up at her, eyes red and damp, her blood still on his lips, watching her speak. Rey felt his need, sensed his spiking self-doubt, and seized his head in both hands, clawed fingers digging into his scalp as she stared into his wide eyes. “You’re  _ mine. _ I haven’t had much in my life that was completely mine, so of course I’m a bit protective. Your mother may be my boss, I may respect her work, but she abandoned you and that’s unforgivable in my book. If she can't forgive Anakin, she has no right to ask for forgiveness from you.”

Understanding spread over his face and he relaxed visibly, lowering his head to press his forehead against hers. “Do you hear me, Ben Solo? You do not owe her anything. Not even a guilty conscience.”

“Okay,” he growled hoarsely. “Thank you… No one’s taken my side since…” Rey felt him breathe deeply and exhale. “Well, since my father died, really. I just assumed you’d want me to… try and make amends. Like everyone else.”

“No.” Rey shook her head firmly. “You were thirteen. She was your  _ mother _ . I can’t believe… Who told you it was your job to make amends? For what?”

“I haven’t been very nice to her since. People always tell me I need to let it go, because she's my mother and I'll regret it.” He closed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek again. “Especially after my father died. Luke showed up a lot more once my father wasn't there to make a scene. He apologized, of course. My mother insisted. That’s why I went to work for him. They thought… My family figured he’d cleaned up for good. Got a degree, started a respectable company...”

“And he led you straight to Snoke.”

“Basically.”

“I’m going to resign as soon as the Omega’s Ball is over,” Rey decided. “I still believe in your mother's work, but I don't think it's my place to be there. We can start our own company. Jacen and Renata need jobs, anyway.”

He snorted at that, but opened his eyes questioningly.

“You really want to? What about your visa?”

“I don’t need a work visa if my mate and husband is American,” she said in a hushed tone. “We can file our intentions and as long as we get married within the year -” 

“Oh.”

_ “‘Oh?’”  _ Rey raised her eyebrows. “Did you forget you proposed?”

“Ahh…”

She raised her hand, summoning the Skywalker klaive with a practiced ease and spinning it slowly in her grip.

“Remember this?”

“Yeah, I -”

“Miss Kenobi!” 

The nurse had come in while they were distracted, her eyes wide with shock at the sight of them - Ben half on top of her already, his face close to hers and streaked with tears and blood - and Rey idly spinning the crackling silver-etched sword in one hand like a toy, her eyes feral and dark.

There was a clatter of dropped medicine, and then she was backing out of the room, calling for them to page Dr. Kanata immediately and cursing about all the damned shapeshifters and their need to constantly have sex in the  _ worst  _ places.

Rey snickered, sobering as he stared at the closed door, then shrugged and climbed on top of her, pressing heated kisses against her neck and reaching for the hem of her shirt. Hastily, she grabbed his hands, pulling them off of her with some effort.

“You might want to slow down there, big guy,” she said apologetically. “I’m not exactly open for business right now.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He pushed up on his arms, his eyes wide and bewildered.

“You’re a pretty terrible werewolf if you can’t tell,” she smirked as he leaned closer, inhaling up against her sternum. “They gave me an emergency contraceptive.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, Dr. Kanata would be very unhappy with us. Irresponsible fucking is what got us into this,” she shrugged, squirming out from under him. “You should have the bed, though. That couch was not made for an alpha werewolf.”

He let her talk him into settling down on the bed on his back, but pulled her down over him rather than allow her to lie on the couch.

“Ben -”

“Shh. We sleep like this all the time when you’re in heat,” he looked up at her pleadingly. “I just want you close.”

Unable to say no to that emotional entreaty, Rey did her best to curl up on his chest, her legs straddling his waist as he wrapped her firmly in an immovable embrace.

And promptly fell back asleep, snoring softly and warmer than the blazing sun.

Rey sighed and started practicing her shielding techniques, preparing herself for a long, uncomfortable night.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I’m very sorry to bother you so late,” she was apologizing to Rey. “I’ve just… I’ve been at the hospital for the last several hours and I was going to go home and call you in the morning, but I realised I’d never be able to sleep.”
> 
> “It’s fine, Innara.” Rey shut the door behind her, looking pointed at Kylo. “Isn’t it?”

 

“I cannot believe you would be such idiots,” Rose rolled her eyes from the visitor’s couch of Renata’s hospital room, where Rey and Kylo had gone as soon as Dr. Kanata cleared them for discharge. “Kylo I can sorta see, but Rey… Seriously! I expect better from you!”

“Oh, let them be,” Nat told her good-naturedly. “We’ve all had our experience with heat emergencies. That’s how I met Amilyn.”

“Oooh, I want to hear this,” Rose encouraged as she made room for Rey to sit beside her, taking an interest in the sleepy kittens visible through the mesh sides of the half-open carrier.

“Yeah, me too,” Kylo said unexpectedly from where he leaned against the wall. “The great, stoic ex-Hunter had a momentary lapse in judgment? Surely that’s never happened.”

“It wasn’t like that - she was trapped away from base for a couple of weeks, missed suppressants and - uhhh,” she coughed, glancing around at their attentive gazes, and took a long sip of her coffee. “I’m not supposed to be thinking along those lines, guys. Lay off.”

“Oh, so it’s a  _ good _ story,” Rey teased. “I take it that means you took care of her?”

“Well, I - I mean, I’d never - Look, really, kids. I’ll tell you another time, okay?” She shook her head at the chorus of gentle teasing. “I promise, I owe you alright? Now tell us what happened with Rey’s magic.”

“Um. It worked?” Rey hazarded.

“Somewhat more than intended,” Kylo added with a suggestive smirk. “Apparently, it has its effects on the caster, as well.”

“I see.” Renata raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two of them, and Rey found herself blushing slightly in the growing silence. “So you can’t use it on me, then.”

“I don’t know, have you got hundreds of millions of dollars lying around somewhere, Argent?” Kylo smirked, but Rey froze, her wide eyes finding his immediately.

“Even if I did, I’m not insane,” Renata replied, clearly interpreting his comment as a joke, and Rey sighed inwardly in relief. “Have you seen the VIP room list? I’ve never even heard of some of those people.”

“Well, it’s a big convention, of course there’s going to be new people,” Rose pointed out. “I’m sure Elle is keeping a close eye on everyone.”

“Where do you think I got the list?” Nat gave Kylo a dark look. “Qi’ra’s on it. Ransolm Casterfo, too. You can bet either of them’s got the funds to bid on our girls here.”

“Casterfo’s not as bad as he seems,” Rose shrugged. “Not that I expect Finn to take any offers, although I can’t think of very many people I  _ wouldn’t _ do for a hundred million dollars.”

“We need a better plan than just not accepting bids,” Rey spoke her thoughts out loud, drawing thoughtful expressions from Rose and Nat, and a stormy look from her mate. “If these people start throwing money around and no one is selling, it’s going to look like we’re just there to show off. Alpha pride can be pretty touchy.”

“I don’t care about their pride, there isn’t enough money in the world -”

“Yeah, yeah, we know, Solo,” Renata waved his declaration away. “But Rey has a point. If you don’t want to cause a scene, you need to have a ‘buyer’ already lined up. You and Finn could arrange it, I guess.”

“No one’s going to believe Finn has that kind of money,” Rose said quickly. “Besides, it’ll be obvious. It needs to be someone we’re not normally associated with…”

“I’ve got some friends coming in from out of town. Distant cousins, actually,” Nat suggested. “They’re Tribe members, so if they double-crossed me it’d be ugly.”

“I want to meet them first,” Kylo insisted. “And no one goes anywhere alone with strangers, unless we’re absolutely sure -”

“Alright, oh great and wise leader,” Rose snickered. “I’m sure Rey would wear a leash if you asked nicely.”

“I would  _ not _ -”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Renata's eyes flashed with mirth. “Lots of people do it -”

“ _ No! _ ”

“We'll discuss it later,” Kylo said firmly, stubbornly avoiding Rey's dark glower. “Tell me about Jacen’s end of things.”

“Ehh…” Nat glanced at Rose, some unreadable look passing between them. “You should let Finn explain, he's the one who talked to them all.”

“I will. But I value your input,” he tilted his head slightly toward Rose. “No insults to Finn, but a good leader takes the time to consider every possible angle.”

“Hmm.” Again, the two cats shared a look, and Renata nodded at the younger woman encouragingly. “You work with Leia's people. You have the most experience out of all of us.”

“Rey works there, too.”

“Yeah, for six months,” Rey was quick to point out. “Besides, I only really know Poe Dameron and Snap Wexley.”

“You're friends with Dameron? Is he trustworthy?” Nat queried, eyes moving from Rose to Rey. “I don't want to see Jacen get hurt.”

“Jacen is dating  _ Poe _ ?” She didn't mean to sound so shocked, and Rey instinctively brought her hand to cover her mouth. “Sorry, it's just - Poe's not - I mean, he's a decent guy, I guess, but -”

“You didn’t know he was gay?” Renata asked keenly.

“No, no,” Rey laughed. “As far as I know, Poe’s sexual preferences are ‘yes, please.’ I’m just surprised that he’s  _ committed _ to anyone.”

“Yeah, he’s ummm…” Rose blushed, nodding in agreement with Rey. “He does have a reputation. I mean, he can do whatever he wants, it’s not our business -”

“Except it  _ is _ now. Jacen is our pack,” Renata said firmly.

“No, it’s still their business,” Rey deflected. “We are not going to sit here and talk about Jacen’s private choices. Or Poe’s. I’m sorry, I had to no right to speak of him that way.”

“Well, at least we’ve been warned.” Kylo rolled his eyes. “More importantly, do you trust Poe Dameron to provide back up in the case of an emergency? Or is he going to be too busy getting head in a closet somewhere?”

“Kylo!”

“You’ve actually  _ been _ to the Omega’s Ball, right?” Rose interrupted, before Rey could begin to scold him further. “It’s basically a giant orgy after the first day. Everyone’s going to be busy getting head in a closet. There are three emergency heat trailers in the parking lot with armed guards.”

“ _ Our _ armed guards now,” Renata smirked. “Ishida called in a favor from an independent security firm he did some magical wards for a few years ago.”

“You guys and your currency of favors,” Kylo pressed his lips together unhappily, but she just shrugged. “Which security firm?”

“Kaneshige.”

Kylo looked surprised, and a long look passed between the two friends, something that spoke of a history that Rey didn’t dare ask about.

“If you’re comfortable with them…” Kylo murmured quietly. “I won’t overrule it.”

“We need people we can trust. They’re professional and she runs a tight ship.” Renata fiddled absently with the black band of tungsten she still wore on her ring finger. “Besides, I won’t be there.”

“Wait, what?” Rose and Rey both spoke at the same time, and she favored them with a slight smile. 

“Amilyn won’t release me, and since I’m still on probation and have to be under the eye of an omega at all times…” She shook her head, holding up her hands plaintively at the chorus of cursing and disbelief. “Hey, hey! Don’t yell at me, I didn’t plan to get poked by Skywalker’s poison.”

“Anakin told Rey the magic could be passed on…” Kylo began, gathering everyone’s attention. “We ah… had a shared dream,” he explained. “Sort of a vision, actually. But he told her she could put it in someone’s mind telepathically.”

“Specifically someone with a talent for magic,” Rey elaborated. “He mentioned Ishida, and I really think it would work.”

Renata drummed her fingers on the tray over her lap, her expression grim as she peered off into space for a long moment.

“You’re sure it won’t injure him in any way? He won’t switch genders permanently?”

“Yes, and no,” Rey replied to each question. “But it’s up to you.”

“The convention starts this weekend,” she said, glancing around the room before her eyes settled on the tiny pile of slumbering kittens behind the woven panels of their carrier. “That doesn’t give us a lot of time to think about it.”

“Call him,” Kylo said suddenly. He met Renata’s eyes as she looked up, a sympathetic expression on his face. “He cares about you, Nat. You know I wouldn’t bullshit about this.”

“Yeah, I know.” She studied the shiny new iPhone on her tray beside her ancient laptop and sighed. “Alright, get the fuck out, all of you. I need to think.”

 

 

It was after midnight, Rey and Kylo curled up alone on the living room couch, watching an old black-and-white horror flick after everyone else had gone to bed, when a firm knock on the door startled them. Rey got up to peek through the window while Kylo scrambled to clean up the half-eaten bowl of popcorn he’d dropped on the floor.

He nearly leapt out of his skin when she opened it without hesitation, a snarl of warning dying on his lips as he caught the scent of their late-night visitor. Instead, he stood still, inhaling the distinctive scent of jasmine and earl grey and  _ tiger _ .

“I’m very sorry to bother you so late,” she was apologizing to Rey. “I’ve just… I’ve been at the hospital for the last several hours and I was going to go home and call you in the morning, but I realised I’d never be able to sleep.”

“It’s fine, Innara.” Rey shut the door behind her, looking pointed at Kylo. “Isn’t it?”

He tilted his head, eyeing the weretiger up and down. Her hair was frizzy and tangled, her eyes red and her face a mess of smeared and hastily-blotted make-up. Beneath her normal scent, she radiated omega distress.

“Kylo.” He turned when Rey said his name. “It’s alright if she comes in for a bit, isn’t it?”

“You’re going to help Renata?”

Emerald eyes, still glassy with tears, locked onto his for a brief moment before she looked away, head lowered submissively.

“Yes.” Innara sniffed, and Rey handed her a paper towel dampened at the kitchen sink. “If - if there’s a way - I can’t bare to see her suffer like that. I know I’ve been terrible to you all, and I’m sorry for that. I thought if I just pushed everyone away it would be easier, but… No matter what I do, I’m just miserable. So…” She wiped her eyes one last time, then fixed her gaze on Rey. “Please, teach me your magic. I know Ishida says he’s willing, and I’m glad he loves her, but… It’s not his place. You understand, don’t you, love? You’re an omega, too.”

“I…” Rey looked over at Kylo, some unreadable thought passing through her eyes that he wished he could overhear. She turned back to Innara and smiled, taking the other woman’s hand. “Actually, I do.”

“Again, I apologize… I’ve been a bit nasty to all of you and you didn’t deserve it.”

“We accept your apology,” Kylo said, finally deciding to speak. “You’re here now, when we need you. That’s all that matters.”

“Thank you.” She dipped her head towards him, and then to Rey. 

“Don’t worry about it. Sit here for a minute and I’ll get you a blanket. You’ve got to be in totem form.” She effectively herded Kylo ahead of her into their bedroom, pulling herself up with her hands around his neck to give him an affectionate kiss. “Thank you for that.”

“For what? She apologized, she’s going to help to Renata.” He frowned. “What did you think I would say?”

“I hoped it would be that. But, you were so angry with them at first, and you might not have noticed, but you’re very protective of Nat.” She kissed him again, then began quickly undressing to take her wolf form, ducking away from his caressing eyes with a smirk. “Hold those thoughts for me. I’ll come back when it’s done.”

He watched her pad out of the room, the plush throw blanket from the bottom of their bed snagged between her teeth, then sat down slowly and retrieved his phone from the bedside table. There was a text message alert, unsurprisingly from Renata.

_ Don’t get pissed, Solo, but I’m taking my mates back. Damn wide-eyed omegas. _

_ We agreed to table the kids discussion until my parole is over. Pretty sure Ishida orchestrated the kitten distraction to work on us both. _

Kylo wasn’t in the least surprised about the last part. He’d assumed it was something like that as soon as she mentioned it was Ishida who brought them.

_ Innara’s here,  _ he texted back.  _ Ishida’s a clever bastard. _

 

_ Well, fuck.  _

_ I don’t know what I expected. _

 

_ Rey’s teaching her the wild magic. _

_ I’d leave the lights on and chug some water, if I were you. _

 

_ Haha. Thanks for the professional tip. _

_ Btw, she wants to talk to your mother about adoption. _

 

_ God help us all.  _


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I’m so glad you’re having fun, Poe.” She glanced around, then leaned towards him conspiratorially. “This is my first time at one of these, too. I know it’s a bit much.”
> 
> “Eh, I think I can adjust,” he gave a suggestive wink. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that fancy little collar, Rey. I’m surprised the Big Bad Wolf let you slip your leash.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, kids!!! My health issues got compounded by the holidays, but I should be back to regular updates as of this week. Once more, thank you to everyone who reads and comments, you have no idea how much you inspire me! 
> 
> Happy Holidays and New Year!!  
> I managed to finally get my Winter Solstice fic edited and posted in lieu of doing any actual writing, so there's that if you wanna look it up, it's called Under the Winter Moon (I have no clue how to imbed links, sorry).

Sitting a booth for six hours with Jaina’s friend Kat had sounded like a somewhat interesting, possibly boring prospect, but Poe Dameron had never been to a shapeshifter convention before.

He had to pull his sunglasses over his eyes after the first ten minutes, because it was obvious he was staring, and it was impossible not to. It seemed, though Poe had always thought of himself as pretty open-minded and sex-positive, ‘shifters were on an entirely different level. Jace, Jaina, Kylo and Rose had all tried to warn him, in their own ways, when they gathered at the Syndulla's house the night before to finalize their plans, but somehow they hadn't quite conveyed the… sheer  _ scale _ of it all. He was prepared for half-naked omegas on leashes, men and women stopping in the middle of the crowd to huff and sniff and growl, all kinds of wild-eyed creatures strolling around like a disaster at the zoo, but...

“Close your mouth, buddy,” the woman in the chair beside him reminded with a chuckle. “Don't want you bringing home fleas, Jace will kill me.”

“I just… Is everyone like this? Like… I just sat on the couch next to my boyfriend and his pack half the night, and everyone was chill, drinking beer and eating cookies, fully-clothed in…” He peered at the convention crowd around them, “not leather… No chains, no… growling at each other or… huffing…”

“Of course. This is a convention specifically for shapeshifters, where we can relax and indulge among our own kind.” She frowned at a group of pale women, with green hair and red eyes and strange, runic tattoos, perusing the change-proof enchanted clothing booth across from them. “Well, mostly our own kind, anyway. I guarantee you, at least half of these people have normal jobs in sales or nonprofits or engineering, they work regular hours and use their holiday or FMLA days for heats. How long did you work with Rey and Rose before you knew?”

“Rey was a surprise. She's so polite, but very private. I mean, I knew about Leia and Dr. Holdo, so I kind of figured she was… special,” He shrugged. “Like hell did I expect Kylo  _ fucking _ Ren to suddenly appear and demand her stuff, though…”

“Holy shit. Is that what happened?” Kat grinned, leaning in to hear him better, and Poe recognized a good audience when he had one.

“Oh, yeah. I’m just sitting there at our booth, bored out of my mind, trying to scope out anyone worth slipping my card to while Rey’s at lunch and then this  _ massive _ dude comes running up to my table, asks if I’m Poe, in a huge hurry like he’s driving an ambulance or something -”

“Ah, alphas. If she was in heat, he’d be on a mission to get her out of there - still, must have been baffling and weird for you,” she chuckled. “That man is actually kinda terrifying, and I lived with Jaina in college.”

“He wasn’t real polite, either. Didn’t want to even tell me what happened, just laid down alpha commands until I brought up Leia.” He smirked, remembering how the mention of his boss had stopped the growling beast in his tracks. “Then it was just ‘she went into heat, I’m going to get her out of here. Leia knows me, she can vouch for my honorable intentions.’”

“”Honorable intentions?’” Kat’s large blue eyes rolled emphatically. “Sounds like the Master of the Knights of Ren, alright. Are they even still a thing with that mutt Hux gone?”

“I guess…” Poe shrugged. 

“Well, you’re dating one of them, I figured you would know.”

“Oh. Uhh… Jacen’s not…” He ran a hand over his tousled curls. “I don’t know, actually. We’ve never talked about his pack much, at least not until he asked me to make it exclusive. Now that I think about it… He does kind of have a white knight complex. Finn, too, honestly. I don’t know about the others. I didn't really know Rose until we met through Rey, actually. She, uhh… had an unexpected early heat, I think, and they asked me to drive her car.”

“Ah. That's good of you.” She paused thoughtfully. “Jacen does seem like the hopelessly honorable type. He had a rough time growing up, made some mistakes, and never stopped blaming himself.”

“Sounds an awful lot like someone else I know,” an amused voice cut in, and Poe turned to see Rey sneaking through the slight space between the back of their display and the table. “How are you coping, Poe?”

“Uhhh…” He blinked, taking in Rey - the quiet, focused, private girl he knew from the office - in a short patent-leather skirt and knee-high motorcycle boots, and found his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth.

She grinned, sitting up on the table beside him, her back to the throng of public masses with an expression of amusement that was clearly at his expense. There was nothing he could think of to say to that that didn't strike him as offensive and inappropriate, so he just closed his mouth and slouched back in his chair, nonchalantly sliding his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 

“I’ve still got half the day, but I think I'll make it,” he answered slowly, looking up just in time for some character in an ill-fitting suit jacket, sleeves ripped off with a sleek red tie hanging from his neck down his bare, hairy chest, to saunter up and lean across the table to sniff. At him.

“Oy, get off my merch, douchebag!” Kat growled, grabbing something from her end and swatting him with it. It was one of the long, double-ended knotting toys in stripes of purple and gold, and Rey eyed the scene with a look of disgust.

“Hey now, that's a nice sex toy, it doesn't deserve to be used like that,” Poe cautioned, earning him an approving grin from Kat and a confused stare from the douchebag. He gave the man another look, still concluding ‘douchebag’ was the appropriate term. “You got some questions, bud?”

“Yeah, I know they you goddamn apes in this year,” he continued, oblivious to both women’s furious looks. Poe reminded himself that this douchebag could turn into a vicious animal with a lot more threatening weapons than fleas, and held his blank expression. The man jabbed a finger towards Rey, and then Kat. “But what the fuck are you doing with  _ them _ ?”

Rey dropped down to her feet, turning to face him with a snarled, “I beg your pardon?”

“Are you joking?” Kat laughed before the douchebag could respond. “Or do you just have no sense of smell? Given that you reek like the back alley of a vape shop, I suppose I can sympathize with such a terrible lack of skill, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and explain.”

She got to her feet as well, stiletto pumps giving her a good two inches on the fuzzy-chested slimeball, and leaned across the table so he could hear her speaking in a deceptively soft manner. “You see, in addition to being omegas who I’m quite confident could kick your ass and send you whining back to your hole in the ground,” she pointed at herself with one manicured nail, “I am a lesbian. And you must be blind as well as senseless, because Rey here is wearing a lovely, recently-refreshed mating bite as a fashion accessory. Let me tell you, you do  _ not _ want to meet her alpha.”

Rey tilted her head, giving him a clearer view of said bite mark, her arms crossed and her stance poised to strike. 

“Poe is our dear friend,” she added. “I suggest you rethink your approach. I’m quite confident he’ll probably accept an apology for your insults,  _ if _ you offer to suck his cock. Politely.”

“Uhhh,” the douchebag mumbled, looking from Rey to him.

“Nah,” Poe shrugged, saving him only to insult him further. “Jacen’s gotten sort of possessive since I met the family, I wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble. He said he scented me though, maybe I should ask him to come do it again.”

“No, trust me. You smell like a wet dog on a surfboard, this guy's just dumb,” Kat assured him, and Rey nodded in agreement. “If Jacen thinks you're stressed, he's gonna park here permanently and as much as I do love the Syndulla's… They  _ loom _ . We're supposed to be sharing information with the public, and we can't do that if the public is too afraid to approach.”

“Good point,” Poe sighed, pushing his sunglasses up to examine the scruffy young man in front of him. He hadn't noticed the terrible tattoo on his arm before, and it took him a minute to make out what it was. “Is that Splinter? From Ninja Turtles?”

“Yeah…” The man blinked, rubbing his thumb over the weird collage of fuzz on his chin that was trying in vain to be a goatee. “‘Cause I'm a rat. Get it?”

“Oh, sure,” he managed, just on the edge of hysterical laughter. “Cool, man. So. Did you have another question or…”

“Uhhh… I mean, what…” He stuttered. “If you’re not mated to one of them, where’s your… Uhh…”

“I don’t know. Like Kat said, probably looming somewhere with a lot of hemp and wooden beads,” Poe shrugged, and both women snickered. “I’ll be sure and tell him you’re looking for him.”

“Oh, no, I don’t -”

Kat cut the man off with a little waggle of her fingers.

“Time's up, sweetie. Have fun while you can,” she winked, then mimed swatting his retreating behind with one of her luridly-colored toys.

“You’re having too much fun yourself,” Poe eyed both Kat and Rey thoughtfully. He hadn’t expected them to come to his defense so vehemently, and it surprised him to hear their casual threats, but the were-rat had just shuffled off looking annoyed. “Thanks, by the way. I wasn’t sure how to respond to… that…”

Kat sighed, replacing her makeshift weapon and pulling out a compact mirror to check the impressive rainbows of glitter over her eyes, dabbing at her lashes with a pinky.

“I’m really glad you can let it slide like that. You even complimented his horrible body art.” She closed the mirror and turned her head so they could both see. “How’s my hair?”

A pile of braids, all done in a different shade, crowned her head in an artistic mimicry of chaos that had taken Jaina and Elle three hours to complete. They must have sprayed it down with industrial Aqua Net, because it hadn’t moved an inch and didn’t look like it was going to. Poe gave her double thumbs up.

“You’re gorgeous, sweetheart. Are you sure you don’t like cocks?”

“Are you sure you do?” Rey snorted, covering her mouth to hide her laughter, and Poe grinned, continuing the banter.

“I dunno, people seem to think I’m still in the trial phase, but after fifteen years,” he lifted his sunglasses dramatically, sighing over a perfectly-outlined leather-clad behind passing by. “All I know is I don’t want to stop trying.” 

Kat shoved a closed fist at him, and he bumped it back. They had done that very routine an hour before on her podcast, completely spontaneously, and he didn’t think it was possible to establish a solid friendship-at-first-sight, but they were pretty close. Rey was giggling and close to tears, dabbing at her dark eyeliner with a tissue the other woman offered in sympathy.

“I’m so glad you’re having fun, Poe.” She glanced around, then leaned towards him conspiratorially. “This is my first time at one of these, too. I know it’s a bit much.”

“Eh, I think I can adjust,” he gave a suggestive wink. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that fancy little collar, Rey. I’m surprised the Big Bad Wolf let you slip your leash.”

She blushed, mumbling something, and ducked back out of the booth with a little wave to Kat, and he resisted the urge to swat her retreating behind, as gorgeous as it was in that tiny scrap of a skirt.

“So what are the odds rat-face has a legitimate floor pass, do you think?” Kat asked when she was done appreciating the view. Poe scowled.

“Probably good, actually. He might smell awful and have some… uh, wardrobe issues, but… Renata’s friends are keeping it pretty tight.” Which meant they couldn’t get him thrown out, unfortunately. “Doesn’t mean we can’t make his life difficult, though.”

“Great minds and all that,” she grinned as Poe reached up to press a button on his well-hidden earpiece. “Make sure you give them a  _ detailed _ description. Oh, and he was definitely a spray-can ‘alpha.’”

“What is a… You know what? I can guess.” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine that ever works out well for them.”

“Sadly, there’s still a market. Just like penis enlargements and death-trap sports cars.”

“Hey, now… There’s nothing wrong with a good engine. I’d rather have my Mazda than an SUV any day,” he complained defensively.

“I promise you, that guy does  _ not _ have a Mazda. He’s got a late ‘90’s GT,” Poe grinned, and she continued. “Aftermarket spoiler, one door inexplicably covered in primer and the rest in peeling forest green, with a sound system he bought off a guy in van at Costco.”

_ “Hey, Poe,” _ Finn’s voice came loud and clear through the earpiece. “ _ Whatcha got?” _

He gave Finn the description, including Kat’s comments about his use of fake pheromone spray and the poorly-drawn body art.

“He’s probably legit, but he pissed us off,” Poe added. “Also, probably time we gave all our systems a real test, might as well torture some dirtbag in the process.”

“ _ That is so… _ ” He could hear the sigh in Finn’s voice, and he lowered his sunglasses to meet Kat’s eyes. 

“Are we being too harsh?”

_ “No, no… You’re right, we should test it. Just… Who the fuck wears fake spray to the fucking Omega’s Ball?” _

_ “Douchebags,” _ Rey’s clipped accent cut in cheerily.  _ “Weren’t you listening, Finn? I thought I was quite clear -” _

_ “I think I’ve got him over here by the Maori Ink guys,” _ Jacen interrupted her.  _ “I’m gonna pull him aside -” _

_ “No, no, Jacen, let somebody else -” _

They could all hear the sounds of Finn’s orders being ignored, the rat-shifter trying to change and flee into the floor grates, pursued by Jacen and several low-voiced men yelling in Polynesian.

_ “I’ve got it, _ ” Rose said eventually, sighing. “ _ I hate crawling around these places. Someone needs to ask Holdo to take a shift. Or one of Renata’s cousins.” _

_ “Well, now we know the subflooring is a weak spot…” _

  
  


The rest of the day went on, Poe and Kat doing the job of saints as one of the first booths near the entrance, answering questions both mundane and baffling. Kat kept a note of some of the better ones to discuss later over her podcast, until Jaina and another human friend of hers came back to take over for the afternoon-evening shift.

He sat in the food court with Jacen, Rey, Kylo freaking Ren, and a short Asian man with dark hair and glasses whom Rey introduced as Ishida Noel.

“So, this guy was convinced that you can pass on shifting with a bite, like you know, in lots of mythology,” Poe began after Kylo finished talking about some characters with fake pheromones who tried to get into the emergency heat rooms. “I told him that's not a thing, Kat told him it's not a thing, several other people just standing around  _ told him it wasn't a thing _ and he just… Could not seem to get it. Kept telling me if it were him, he'd go ahead and do it, because it's a dangerous world out there and you need all the weapons you can get.”

Jacen rolled his eyes, and Rey gave a snort, but he wasn't finished. Poe grinned, knowing he had their attention, and dropped the juiciest bit of his story. “And  _ then _ , he started talking about the lizard aliens, and how the deep state was manufacturing cloned dinosaurs and trying to make Godzilla.”

Even Kylo chuckled at that, and the man Poe had just been introduced to sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don't even know where to - If they could clone dinosaurs, why would they bother making Godzilla?” He took off his glasses, squinting at Poe. “What did you even say to that?”

“Ehh, Kat told him your friends in security were dragons and if he watched real close, he'd see their third eye open,” Poe explained. “They got tired of him real quick.”

Ishida gave a sigh, shaking his head.

“Oh,  _ that _ guy. You know, you shouldn't antagonize my sister's people. For all I know, some of them  _ are _ dragons.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Though I don't think they have a third eye. I can't imagine where on earth he got that idea.”

Poe smirked, assuming it was a joke, but noticed immediately that the others didn't seem to see it that way. He gaped around the table.

“Wait, are you serious? There's really -”

“They're quite rare, fortunately,” Ishida said in the same quiet voice. “And they're not… like us.”

“What do you mean ‘not like us?’” Rey asked before Poe could. “They walk around in human forms, don't they?”

“Ahh, yes, but… It's a bit different. You see, when you or I become a wolf, our bodies literally change… I don't want to get too graphic with poor Mr. Dameron here, but, muscles tear and reshape, bones break, organs shift… It's magic, but the end result is very real.” He paused, toying with the edge of his spectacles idly. “Your wolf body is just as real as your human body - if someone were to cut into it surgically, your heart would be a wolf's heart, your blood and tissue, if tested, would show you to be a wolf. Dragons… are  _ always _ dragons. They are hatched from eggs in the deep, old places of the earth, fully-formed and adult. They can change their appearance, and often do, but were you to stab my sister in the heart, regardless of how she looks, you would find it to be the heart of a dragon.”

“Huh,” Rey and Poe both breathed out at once. He glanced her way, noting how she sat on Kylo's lap as if she owned it, and the broad-framed, powerful beast of a man allowed her to do so. He might be the alpha, and there was a long length of chain connecting his wrist to the slim little collar around Rey’s neck, but it was clear where the true balance of power was. 

“Wait,” Rey was tilting her head at Ishida curiously. “Your sister? Yue? She's a dragon?”

Poe had only seen the woman from a distance, talking to Kylo and Rey before the convention officially opened, but she was quite a memorable figure. Tall and slender, long black hair in a tight braid, wearing a custom kevlar vest with her last name - the name of her company - in blood-red script across the back.  _ Kaneshige _ .

“Man, that sucks,” Poe said without thinking. “Your sister got the dragon genes and you're just a plain old wolf.”

“What's wrong with being a wolf, Poe?” Jacen rumbled beside him, turning a stretch into sliding an arm over his shoulders in an attempt to be sly. “You want me to buy you one of Kat's toys so you can feel the diff -”

“No! No, nope, not having this conversation!” He protested, waving his free arm wildly. “Let's just forget I said a damn thing, okay? I like wolves. You guys are great. Favorite animal ever. Alright?”

Ishida, Rey and even Kylo chuckled at that.

“Actually, I'm quite glad I wasn't born from an egg,” Ishida said coolly. “You don't realise how nice it is to have a social life. She's very lonely, my half-sister. Our father wasn't much of a parent, but I at least had my mum. Yue's mother was distant, at best.”

“Huh,” Poe mumbled for perhaps the hundredth time that day. “Well, I appreciate you guys being so… cool, and welcoming and… I have learned a  _ lot _ of things today, some of which I could have gone my whole life without knowing, but still. I had a good time.”

“Thank you for coming,” Jacen said warmly, squeezing his shoulders. He glanced over at Kylo, who gave him a quick nod, and then stood, hauling Poe up with him. “So… Our place is actually pretty close and… I got the clearance from the Big Bad, and I was wondering if you wanna -”

“You're inviting me to your place? For the night?”

“Uh. Yes?”

Poe just stood there, blinking, and Jacen stared back at him, one hand tugging at his heavy dreadlocks, partially tied back by an old bandana. He took a breath, and then another, well aware that they were being watched.

“Great,” he managed to squeak out finally, just as the werewolf seemed on the verge of tearing out a large chunk of his hair. “I'll just… Get my stuff really quick and -”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I should have said,” Jacen stammered, glancing down at his feet. “I mean, of course, you don't have any clothes or anything. Man, I'm -”

“Yeah, actually I do. I left a bag in my car.” Deep amber eyes darted upwards, catching his, and Poe smiled nervously, afraid to seem too eager. “I just figured, you know… In case something happened -”

“Oh, for fuck's sake!” Rey interrupted, climbing off of Kylo’s lap to eye them both, hands on her hips. “Jacen, just take your boyfriend home, and play fair. You can smell him, and he can't, so you're gonna have to be a fucking adult and  _ tell  _ him how you feel.”

He turned back to Jacen with a narrowed gaze at Rey's harsh words, and he was pretty sure he could feel the heat of a blush hidden under that warm chocolate skin.

“You can smell…”

“Yep.”

“And everyone else can -”

“ _ Yes _ ,” Kylo growled in a warning tone. “And we're just as uncomfortable as you, so… Do with it what you will, but please do it somewhere  _ else _ .”

Jacen held out his hand, his expression warm and inviting and promising… things… Poe took it with a nod, letting the werewolf lead him out. 

 

 

Rey settled back onto Kylo's lap with a grateful sigh as soon as the two men were out of sight, and he wrapped his arm loosely around her waist.

“Well, thank God that's out of the way.”

Kylo's hand slipped to her shoulders, wide thumbs massaging the base of her neck, and she relaxed against him almost bonelessly. Barring little incidents like the wererat who accosted Poe, or the idiot reporter trying to pretend to be in heat to get a firsthand look at the emergency setup, there had been no sign of a more organized offensive. But they had all been busy, both following up with the Kaneshige security forces and at their own assigned tasks. Rey had spent the day migrating slowly around the convention center with Kylo not far away, sometimes at the end of the long chain, sometimes crowding her against a wall or corner, using his bulk to cover them as she made notes on her tablet, or placed a discreet recording device among a popular attraction.

She had been disgusted at the idea at first, but when they stepped in through the back staff entrance and she saw the throngs of people, mostly in some kind of costume or scraps of cloth that could barely be called clothing, skin and fur and status on display, she had been absolutely overwhelmed. Kylo had held her while she buried her face in his shoulder, gulping in his scent and exposing her neck with a pleading whine for him to scent her again, and again. When he gently placed the leather around her neck, she’d bowed her head and let him, feeling unusually submissive in the midst of so many other shifter pheromones. As usual, her mate understood more about her anxiety than even Rey admitted, and the tangible link had soothed her just as much as the anxiety medication Dr. Kanata prescribed when they’d left the hospital.

There were… other benefits to it as well, and though Rey had tried her best to remain focused on their tasks, after two hours of Kylo pressing her into corners and lifting her up onto tables to lick and suck and tease while she worked, she had been tortured enough to beg for a release. He’d pulled her close by the collar, forcing her head up uncomfortably while he tore away her soaked panties and stuffed his fingers inside her until she came so hard she broke out of his grasp and sank her teeth into his shoulder.

“Good girl,” he’d whispered as he stroked her hair. “My good girl.”

It might have been the best orgasm she’d ever had, except later they’d found a stack of unused tables partially obscured by a tall display, and Kylo had pulled her onto his lap while she protested mildly, sure someone would see or hear them.

“You’ll be quiet, I know you will,” he told her confidently as he lifted her onto his cock. “Now be good and make yourself come.”

She had, with his hand wrapped around her mouth to muffle her quiet moans, and then she’d fucked him so hard she had to put both of her hands over  _ his _ mouth to silence his low groans of pleasure.

“If you can’t be quiet, don’t expect me to,” she hissed as he stared up at her with wide, glassy eyes full of surprise. She removed her hands and kissed him, and they had continued on their day with dual purpose, finding places to hide and fuck, leaving recording devices and adding quick notes to Rey’s tablet whenever they discovered a weak spot. 

Snagging her tablet from the table, she went to work transposing her notes into color-coded markers on their maps, noticing the slight spike of interest as Kylo peered over her shoulder. 

_ Mapping out all of the places I’ve claimed you? _

_ Why? Do you plan on a repeat performance? _

“Kylo, I have to say, I'm concerned about the lack of… activity,” Ishida admitted clearing his throat and resolutely ignoring any residual scents. “But you seem to be at ease.”

“Luke's not an idiot. I didn't really expect much to happen on the first day,” he replied with a bored shrug. “But that doesn't mean we can be complacent tonight.”

“Right,” he nodded, then his gaze caught on something behind them and he stood, Rey and Kylo following quickly. 

A trio of people were headed towards them across the near-empty concession tables, two men alike enough to be brothers, with long, dark brown hair and the distinctive bone structure of Native Americans, though only one had the broad build of an alpha. They were led by a short, diminutive woman with Renata's pale platinum hair and dark, kindly eyes.

“Renata's cousins,” Kylo guessed, his gaze turning critical as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes,” Ishida sounded nervous, and Rey didn't blame him. “I didn't realise her grandmother would be here, too.”

“Ishida,” the little old woman said with a slight nod as he bowed over her hand like royalty. “You look well.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Argent,” he replied carefully. “Have you visited Renata yet?”

“I called to inform her when we arrived, but she is occupied by her omega for the time being.” Her tone was lacking the usual discomfort people seemed to have when speaking of heats, and her steel gray eyes flicked over Rey appraisingly.

“You're the wild-born,” she said with a nod. “I can always sense it. I'm Sarah. Sarah Bluebird-Argent.”

Rey felt a sort of immediate kinship with the elderly woman, and awareness sparkled in her eyes as she took Renata's grandmother's hand. 

“You're wild-born, too.”

“What a lovely young thing you are,” Sarah Argent smiled gesturing with her head and taking Rey's hand in a firm grip. “Walk with me child. Tell me about yourself.”

After a quick exchange of looks with Kylo, he nodded his permission, and she allowed herself to be drawn away while he spoke quietly with the other members of Renata's family.

“So,” the platinum-haired woman tipped her face up toward Rey, asking without preamble, “when do you plan to have children?”

“Ahhh… Not anytime soon,” Rey deferred. “But we are getting married. I was thinking sometime after the Ball, if my cousin Ezra can make the flight.”

“Hm. Are you old-fashioned? Waiting for marriage?” She frowned thoughtfully. “You don't seem the type.”

Rey wasn't sure if she should be offended or if it was meant as a compliment, but she was beginning to suspect Renata had good reasons for avoiding her family.

“Um. No, we… Kylo helped me through my first heat a couple months ago, and we sort of… rushed the mating, but…” She rubbed the scar on her neck, still sensitive from all the mauling her possessive mate had given it over the last week. “I'm actually only twenty years old, so I'd like to wait at least a few years.”

“Oh, my.” There was a tug on her arm, and they stopped beside a narrow bench just past the closed concession booths. “Let me sit a moment, dear.”

Rey sat beside her on the bench, where she could see Kylo across the room, speaking animatedly to the others around him. Ishida was looking increasingly uncomfortable, and one of the young men was patting his shoulder soothingly.

“So. I hear you are participating in that foolish little bidding war alphas and omegas like to do at these things,” she began, and Rey felt a polite smile taking up permanent residence on her face. “Some of the wolf traditions are very primitive, but I suppose people like you and I have no room to complain. Still. Kylo Ren doesn't seem like the kind of man to offer his mate up on a silver platter to be drooled upon by less worthy alphas.”

“We're not… I mean, believe me, it wasn't his idea. But there are some… very dangerous people plotting terror attacks, and we're doing our best to ensure they don't succeed,” she explained cautiously. She really had no idea what Sarah Argent knew or didn't know about Luke Skywalker's machinations, but she didn't want her to think badly of Kylo. “It was my idea to do the private party. It's a small room, with a concentration of alphas who will be drinking and probably les aware of themselves than usual, and it seems like quite an alluring target for the people we are working against.”

“Ah. How very cunning of you.” The woman smiled, her tan skin crinkling around her eyes and mouth, and Rey was struck by how much she looked like an elderly version of Renata. “Still, I'm surprised he allowed it. I'd always wished that man was a cat, you know. He's the perfect specimen of an alpha, and Renata has always adored him.”

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found the words to respond, but when she did, she could barely contain her anger.

“Nat has always been very adamant about her preferences,” she said coldly. “She has an omega mate, as well. Did you really expect her to suddenly become someone else entirely just because she made friends with a - an alpha enough man?”

“Female alphas are built to take knotting, just like omegas. There's very little difference in physiology,” Sarah said in a matter-of-fact tone. “The emotional chemistry is something else entirely, but there are alpha-and-alpha pairings. The only difficulty is, of course, us cats are entirely too rare. My dear granddaughter has never had the opportunity to test her compatibility with any alpha of her own tribe.”

“Excuse me,” Rey said after a minute, rising to her feet in an attempt to get away. She nearly growled when the woman's hand closed over her wrist, and she couldn't help but scowl down at her.

“I was under the impression you require our favor,” Sarah said, stormy eyes holding Rey's. “For that, I believe it's only fair you consider my request in exchange.”

“Kylo's not going to fuck Nat,” she snapped coldly, jerking her arm away. “Me giving them my permission would have nothing to do with it, even if I were willing to share. Which I'm not.”

“Oh, Heavens, child! Of course not!” She chuckled at Rey's dark look. “Forgive me. It's been some time since I encountered a wild-born omega. I'd forgotten the intensity. No, no. You've misunderstood me. I do not want you or your alpha to step outside of your relationship. But you have a friend who is a cat, do you not?”

“Wha… Finn? You want  _ Finn _ to offer to… To sleep with -”

“I will happily provide the necessary funds, of course,” she smiled again, her expression warming. “I do not know how it happened, but it seems my family has some predilection for… nonstandard pairings. My grandson, David, prefers his own sex, as Renata does. But he and his mate wish to have a child, and his younger sister has agreed to carry it. So, David will bid on your friend's mate, and in return your friend will bid on my granddaughter. That is how this all works, is it not?”

“I… I'll speak to Finn and Rose,” she whispered, suddenly desperate to get back to Kylo.

“Wait.”

Rey flinched visibly, eyes snapping closed as she prayed to whatever deity was listening for the patience to endure this manipulative old woman.

“Yes?” She asked finally, turning back to her.

“We have yet to negotiate  _ your _ arrangements.”

“I really think Kylo ought to be involved with that,” Rey said coolly. “He’s very possessive. I had to fight just to get him to agree to it at all.”

“Hmm. But you are the one who chose to put yourself on display, my dear. Clearly you are able to bend him to your will whenever you wish.” She smiled, returning Rey’s bland look. “When you get to my age, you come to understand the truth of all this. All these muscular alphas and their posturing, the so-called ‘leaders’... It’s the omegas who have the real power. Oh, yes, they can command in the moment, but the planning, the organizing, the accounts and paperwork and the big decisions… That’s all you, dear. He will do whatever you want, give whatever you ask, simply because he’s become attached to what’s between your legs.”

Rey couldn’t help herself. Maybe a more polite, kinder, more compromising person would have simply nodded and let her go on, because this infuriating old woman had something they needed, but…

“Good Christ,” she hissed. “No wonder Renata wants nothing to do with her family.”

Before the woman could answer, she was striding quickly back to her mate, wrapping both hands around his bicep and pressing her face against his jacket. She knew she was radiating distress, and he made a soft noise of soothing, gazing down at her worriedly as his arms wrapped automatically around her.

“I can’t,” she mumbled against him. “That woman is… I don’t know how to say it, but I just can’t, Kylo, I -”

“Okay, okay. I know.” He held her close, speaking to Renata’s cousins over her head. “I need to take her home. Tell your grandmother we’ll talk again in the morning. Hopefully Nat will be… free to join us.”

“Dammit, Gran -” One of the cousins grumbled, and Rey could hear him stalking off to where she had left the old woman when she fled, while the other shook hands with Kylo and then Ishida.

“I don’t know what she said,” the cousin said in an aggravated tone, “but I’m sure we’re all about to be sorry for it. She wasn’t even supposed to come, but she cannot stop meddling -”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Kylo replied emphatically, nodding again before he turned to hurry Rey off to the safety of his car and home to their waiting bed. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t hold her against you.”

Ishida snorted, and the cousin chuckled, and Rey felt mildly better knowing that she hadn’t just ruined their negotiations with the entire family by refusing to play games with their matriarch.

She sighed as she rested her head against the back of the seat, sitting down low in the car so she could ease some of the weight on her mangled feet, still stuffed into massive, heavy leather boots. Kylo’s hand dropped over her knee, and Rey realised her eyes had been closed, her mind halfway towards sleep until his touch jerked her back into reality.

“You want to share?”

“Not really,” she groaned, sitting up more. “Basically, she told me I had all the power in our relationship because you’ve developed a particular attachment to my cunt.”

He snorted, and Rey went on. “Also, she’s got a granddaughter doing the catwalk and she wants Finn to actually bid on her and sleep with her because said granddaughter has a gay brother, and he and his mate want a kid.”

“She - they -” His hands flexed on the wheel, and Rey could sense the horror and confusion swimming in his surface thoughts. “I can’t believe she just asked you that.”

“She also said you’re ‘the perfect specimen of an alpha’ and she’d always secretly hoped you had a magic dick that would change Renata’s sexual preferences.”

“Holy fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“You were talking to her for less than ten minutes.”

“Right.”

“Holy fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I kinda want to put Leia and Renata's grandma in a ring and see what happens...


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, I hate to bring this up, but um… If she’s gone, who’s buying our breakfast?” Finn asked after a few moments of silence.
> 
> “Oh, don’t worry about that.” Rose grinned, holding up a matte black piece of plastic between her fingers.
> 
> “You pickpocketed Grandma Hellcat?” Finn hissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this worked out differently, but the thought of Leia and Grandma Hellcat in the same room got me thinking, and I felt like it was more likely they'd conspire than fight.
> 
> At least to begin with :P

"No, Gran, it’s sure as hell _not_ a completely logical question, I cannot believe -” Renata was pacing around the small hotel room as Innara watched calmly from the bathtub, wine glass in hand. She snickered when the alpha snatched it from her grasp and drained it all in one gulp, moving over to refill it while she scowled over the low, loud voice of her grandmother on the phone she held at her shoulder.

She sat on the edge of the jacuzzi tub, one finger drifting lazily through the jasmine-scented bubbles, and Innara raised her glass with a little, tired smile of thanks.

“Did it ever occur to you that whether or not any of us have children is none of your fucking business? Oh, knock it off, you shrill old harpy! You just tried to get my packmate to knock up Angela like it’s nothing -” Innara hissed irritably, sitting up in the water with a shocked expression.

“Which packmate?” Her eyes narrowed in thought, and then she scowled again. “ _Finn?_ That crazy old -”

“It’s not whoring them out - Jesus woman - No, _NO_ \- Let me finish!” She stood and paced to the window, looking out at the city below as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, without really seeing anything. “I’m sorry you wasted your time coming all the way here, but no one - NO ONE - needs your input. I asked for a favor from David and Gabriel, not you, so if you ever want to see my kids some day, you’ll back off and keep your meddlesome claws out of it!”

She froze, hearing a soft sound from her mate, and turned to meet Innara’s emerald eyes, wide with surprise and a heart-wrenching affection. How in all of hell she thought she could ever live without that look was beyond her, and her hand drifted over her bare thigh, pressing against the omega’s mating bite until the fresh wound stung sharply.

“ _Kids?_ ” Innara mouthed.

Renata shrugged, covering the sound of her grandmother’s foul-mouthed lecture with her palm as she met her mate’s surprised gaze.

“I thought we agreed already,” she murmured quietly. “Or should I tell Leia nevermind about meeting with the adoption agency?”

“No, no, I just thought -” She cocked her head, studying Renata with one of those speculative, thoughtful looks that somehow made her spine tingle. “Come here. Let your grandmother be, she’ll drop it eventually after she meets Finn and -”

She nearly choked when she realised Innara was right, a slow, cunning smile turning up the corners of her mouth as she thought about it.

“Renata -”

“You know what, Gran? I’ll set up a meeting, you can ask Finn and Rose about it yourself.”

“Renata!”

“Yeah. We’re in the Marriott downtown. Meet us for breakfast downstairs in…” She glanced at the bedside clock. It was two hours and change before the restaurant opened. “Three hours. Just ask Gabe, he knows where everything is. I’ll call and make reservations.”

Smirking, she shrugged out of the robe she had haphazardly draped over her shoulders, then stepped carefully into the tub, texting a quick group message to Finn, Rose and Rey.

“You’re a truly despicable person, my love,” Innara said in a low purr, watching her.

She tossed the phone on top of her robe and slid down, arranging herself across from her mate on her knees in the scalding hot water. One hand slipped over Innara’s exposed ankle, gently rubbing circles there while she used the other to slowly push the other woman’s thighs apart, looking over her sex-swollen flesh, entranced.

“Did you even hear me? Renata?” She gasped hoarsely as her hands slid upwards, very gently tracing over her skin with a featherlight touch under the water.

“If I’m so despicable, why are you letting me do this?” Renata smirked as she watched Innara melt under her hands with a low, sultry moan. “Hmm? Do you like it when I touch you?”

More moans met her questioning, and she let her hands still, half-withdrawing them until Innara cursed and wriggled closer. “Answer me, omega!”

“Yes, I like your hands on me, alpha!”

“Do you? Even though I’m a ‘truly despicable person?’” She rested her hands on Innara’s hips, moving nothing but her thumbs in a slow caress. “Answer, Innara.”

“Yes! Nat - please -” Her eyes opened, wide and restless with need. “Please, don’t tease me - I don’t think that, I was only -”

“Teasing?” She suggested. Innara’s gaze dropped guiltily, and Renata leaned down, forcing her head up with a firm nudge of her own. “Look me in the eye, honey. We’re good, okay? Aside from being a bit of a cunt to everyone, you did nothing wrong. We had a… a communication failure… okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded firmly, and Renata claimed her mouth, letting a low purr of approval rise in her throat as Innara twined her arms around her neck and pulled her closer. When they broke apart again, she tilted her head, and Renata raised an eyebrow. “We owe Ishida… Everything.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“He’s going to be a smug bastard.”

“Yep.”

  


“Feel free to nope the fuck out at any time,” Nat told Finn earnestly as they waited in the small seating area of her hotel room for Innara to get ready. “I mean it, I don’t want you to feel like you’re being used or anything.”

“Well, I kinda _am_ , but I don’t mind.” He sipped coffee from the styrofoam cup she’d given him, wincing at the taste and reaching for another sugar packet.

“I know, Innara told me I’m a despicable person.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I guess I must come by it naturally.”

“Your grandmother’s that bad, huh?” She nodded, and Finn gave her a sympathetic look. “Rey told me what she said yesterday night. I’ve seen her angry, but she was… _Quiet_ angry. It’s kind of terrifying.”

“I can imagine.” Renata spared a thought for the formidable omega, remembering how calm and focused she was when they were ambushed by Skywalker’s goons. “It takes more than a little spine to stand up to Sarah Bluebird. It definitely threw her. She’s not used to being told no.”

“Is she an alpha, your grandmother?”

“She’s a retired alpha,” Innara explained, coming to join them. Her hair was pinned up in a low bun, and she wore a low-collared, long-sleeved emerald sweater, rough-scabbed mating bite openly displayed. “Highly aggressive breed, very high strung, not good with children or pets.”

“Wonderful.” Finn sighed. His phone chimed from his pocket, and he pulled it out and scanned it quickly before putting it back. “Rey and Rose are at the table.” He got to his feet, holding both arms out in a playful gesture and putting on a fake accent. “Shall we depart to face our doom bravely, ladies?”

Nat rolled her eyes, already going to the door, but Innara smiled coyly, taking his arm with the lightest touch of her slender hand.

“How gracious of you to escort us,” she played along, letting her own natural British accent bleed through more prominently.

Renata held the door as they glided through, biting her lip and reminding herself that flirting was just part of Innara’s personality, she wasn’t really interested in Finn. Besides, he had a mate, and she was reasonably sure Rose didn’t want to share.

Although…

She watched, following behind as Finn and Innara chatted amiably, slowly letting the thoughts in her mind play out. Obviously, no matter what her grandmother thought, he was not going to agree to just sire a kid with some woman he hardly knew and then promptly forget all about it, that just wasn’t in Finn’s character. Her intention, when she contacted her cousins, had been for David, the alpha, to bid on Rey. Both David and his mate, Gabriel, were extraordinarily wealthy, with a combination of inherited oil money and hefty portfolios of thriving casino stocks. No one would question where the money came from, and traveling in all the way from Oklahoma, they would be relatively unknown among the local echelons of power.

But if they refused Sarah’s ridiculous offer, and went with Renata’s original plan, that still left Rose unaccounted for. At the time, she had been confined to the hospital with no release date in sight, and she’d assumed Finn would make a deal with Lando, or Jacen’s alpha sister or some other associate. It wasn’t uncommon for packmates and friends to make such bids, many shifters had rather lax rules of monogamy, especially during the Ball. Renata had never accepted an offer for Innara, because there had never been any offers she trusted, and she herself had too many enemies. The risk of someone using Innara to get at her was too high.

Renata took a few quick steps, catching Finn’s free arm as they stood waiting for the elevators. The other alpha turned to regard her with a shocked expression, and she grinned, letting go of his arm immediately.

“I have a proposal, Finn,” she said bluntly. No point in being delicate about something like this, if he agreed it would have to be all out in the open anyway. She glanced at Innara, who was frowning and eyeing her suspiciously.

“Yeah, so?”

The werelynx took a deep breath, keeping her expression shuttered. And then she explained, as quickly as possible, watching her friend and her mate’s expressions closely, noting how Finn tensed, and Innara removed her arm from his. Only for him to cast her a hurt look, and reach for it back.

“That’s a lot to think about,” he said eventually. “And it all has to go by Rose.”

“Of course it does,” Innara nodded. “And I don’t think she likes me much, so I imagine it’s a dead end, but… I am not opposed to asking anyway.”

“Ishida will need to approve, as well,” Renata sighed. “Ah, well. Maybe it’s a dumb idea, I just thought it would be the most… organic way to go about it.”

“Rose likes you,” Finn told her quietly. “I… I don’t know. I think this is a whole pack kind of decision.”

“I agree. We’ll table for now.”

“At least until we chase off the hellcat,” Innara put in. “God help us if _she_ finds out.”

“One fire at a time.”

 

Finn held his arm out, giving Renata a suggestive glance, and she gave up and put her hand on his arm with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. They entered and exited the elevator like that, and strolled across the lobby to the restaurant.

Sarah Bluebird-Argent was seated facing the entrance, and Renata got a spectacular view of her face as they walked in, arm-in-arm with Finn between them.

“Well!” The exclamation made Rey and Rose, seated to each side of her, turn to look. Rey snickered. Rose held her hands over her mouth to hide her laughter, but it sparkled quite obviously in her eyes.

“Hey, Gran,” Renata said as they took their seats. “This is Finn, my packmate and fellow alpha. I’m sure you’ve been introduced to Rose Tico, his wife and mate.”

“Well!” She said again, and Renata dared not look around the table, noting the sparkling eyes and muffled giggles all around. They were certainly causing a commotion in public, another thing that made Sarah’s eyes pop out. A server came to take their order, and Renata nonchalantly ordered a round of mimosas.

“I will just have a _water_ ,” her grandmother said in a loud hiss, glowering at her across the table. She handed her menu to the young man without even looking at him. “And a bowl of fresh fruit, thank you.”

“I think the rest of us need a minute to decide,” Nat said firmly. She reached in her pocket, where she kept a few folded bills (a trick learned from Kylo) and passed him a twenty. “Put a rush on those drinks and keep them full, will you? Some of us are going to have a good time, despite the company.”

“Christ Almighty, _Renata_! It’s not even ten a.m.”

Innara’s hands slipped around her arm, her face pressed into Renata’s sleeve as her shoulders shook with laughter.

“Lower your voice, please, Gran. You’re upsetting my omega.” She winked at the server, who hurried away to fulfill her request, and then slowly opened the menu, noting Rey and Finn already had their faces hidden behind the thick leather objects. “You kids order what you like,” she told her packmates with a smirk that was also hidden by the menu. “My grandmother is a generous lady.”

“I - young lady - you are absolutely out-of-line!” She stuttered.

“Oh, good. So we’re on the same page, then.” She gave her grandmother a toothy smile. “I think I’ll have the crepes with lingonberries and cream. What about you, Finn?”

“Biscuits and gravy, sirloin-tip omelette and country potatoes,” he rattled off. His eyes met hers over the menu, and he gave her a stealthy wink. Renata hid her answering smile, relieved and pleased that Finn had picked up on her little game of subtly irritating the old lady, and had decided to join in by ordering an outrageous amount of food. She’d certainly be eyeing the biscuits and gravy sideways, probably with some comment about how Californians always had to do something _extra_ to plain old staples.

Only after they had food, drinks and one thoroughly-unhappy alpha matriarch, would Renata allow any conversation about the omega auction. She started by addressing Rey.

“So you're a pretty pricey commodity, princess. Got any ideas about how you want this to play out?”

Rey sipped her tea, having completely polished off the hotel's version of an English breakfast despite commiserating with Innara about the lack of beans.

“Well, I'm reasonably certain Kylo's reputation precedes us, honestly,” she said with a thoughtful frown. “But obviously he has to appear to have some sincere bids.”

“What do you mean, Kylo's reputation?” Sarah groused.

Renata's grandmother had glowered in full Southern effrontery at the way the women at the table ate, picking at her fruit as if she could instill some propriety by example. She seemed more than slightly irritated to find Innara was the only female with that kind of poise, setting down the spoon of her modest strawberry oatmeal halfway through the bowl and dabbing her mouth with the napkin from her lap so primly Nat couldn’t resist leaning over and whispering a low ‘ _good girl_ ’ in her ear. Innara sat up straighter, picking up her teacup with a slender hand and holding it in front of her face to disguise her blush.

The whispering hadn’t been overlooked by the hellcat, who had snorted and grumbled something about unnatural behavior in public. Currently she was studying Rey with a look that Nat had yet to see on the formidable old woman’s weathered face, a mix of trepidation and… longing?

“I thought you knew all about Kylo,” Rey said with an arch of her eyebrows. “Him being the perfect alpha and all. Obviously you’ve paid some attention to him.”

“To his physical traits, perhaps,” Innara suggested. “He doesn’t exactly welcome friendly conversation, so you can’t blame Grandma Argent for not knowing much about his personality.”

“He is difficult to read,” Rey admitted.

“All humans are more difficult to read when you’re wild-born,” Sarah snorted. “You get used to it.”

“I had no idea what I was until a few months ago,” Rey shrugged, sipping her tea again. “I thought I was just a bit introverted, possibly with some kind of spectrum disorder.”

Sarah’s expression turned kinder, and she reached out to pat Rey’s free hand in a motherly fashion.

“We wild-born have to stick together, you know. The rest of shifting society thinks we're monsters. Or legends.”

“Probably both,” Rey agreed, as Renata choked on her coffee.

“Are you fucking serious?” She nearly shouted, and everyone turned to eye the frazzled alpha warily. Innara laid a soothing hand on her arm, and she covered it with her own gratefully, but continued to glare across the table at her grandmother. “You never told me you were wild-born!”

“It never came up,” the old woman said with a calm shrug. “Would it have really made any difference, Renata? You already harbor so much resentment -”

“Yeah, well, maybe it would’ve been a little less depressing to know _why_ you were such a shitty mother, but still care so much about all of our lives!” She tossed her napkin on the table, to worked up to finish her food, and waved the waiter over for a refill on her mimosa. “I really thought you’d take me in, you know? After my dad died… They tried to find native foster families, and I was always so confused about why you just… left me with that woman.”

“That woman? You mean your mother?”

“I don’t call her that and you know damn well why!” She fumed. Her grandmother gave her a characteristically patronizing smile.

“Well, there’s no changing the fact that she gave birth to you, my dear. As for why I didn’t take you in… I’d already raised my boys,” her grandmother waved a hand dismissively. “You were a sturdy little thing. I was sure you’d present like me, and I was right. You didn’t need someone else to fight your battles, Renata. It would only have made you weak.”

“I can’t fucking believe you.” She slumped in her chair, still shaking her head and mumbling curses. “Just… For fuck’s sake. No wonder you can’t seem to figure out normal healthy boundaries.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it doesn’t suit you.”

“I apologize for my language, Sarah, but could you kindly just fuck off?”

Innara spoke in such a deceptively pleasant tone, it seemed to catch everyone at the table by surprise, most notably Renata. The werelynx glanced back and forth, from her bristling mate to her stuttering grandmother, surprise radiating from her like sparks from a fire. Innara’s eyes were bright and fully-shifted, and the low sound of a protective growl rumbled from her slender throat as she stared down the elderly alpha.

Said alpha looked around, realised no one was on her side, and made a very undignified sound of surprise and disgust, as if she’d swallowed something terrible.

Finn let out the chuckle he was trying desperately to muffle, breaking the staredown, and Innara’s shoulders dropped with relief, her hand squeezing tightly when Renata laced their fingers together.

“Well, I’ve had about enough of this! You’re lucky your daddy put his money where I couldn’t get to it, or you’d not have a penny of inheritance left.” She gathered her coat and pocketbook, giving them all a single, long stare. “I hope your silly little plan works. Luke Skywalker is not a threat to be trifled with by children!”

“Awesome input, thanks a bunch,” Rose said with her fakest sweet smile. “Enjoy your visit, San Francisco is really a fun place to explore. Just watch out for Chinatown, I’ve been told they eat cats.”

Sarah blinked several times, then seemed to rally herself, throwing her shoulders back and smoothing her hands down her dress. She opened her mouth, her eyes finding Renata’s, but closed it quickly when Innara gave a low, possessive growl.

“Lord save us if this is the future,” she sighed, finally stalking away in retreat.

“A wild-born alpha,” Innara nuzzled her head into Nat’s arm until she caved and wrapped her in a half hug. “No wonder we’ve never gotten along.”

“No one ‘gets along’ with Sarah Argent,” Renata consoled her. “Honey, you were _wonderful_. I don’t even know what to say. I - I’m so sorry. For everything, Innara, I swear -”

“Stop.” She latched onto Nat’s arm with both hands. “You’re mine. I let you go, and you came back, and I am not going to let that snobby git of a woman ruin an otherwise lovely weekend.”

Rey was watching them carefully, Renata realised, just as curious at Innara’s unusual display of protectiveness as she was. She raised an eyebrow, and the younger omega shrugged slightly, acknowledging her curiosity, but not willing to discuss it with everyone else around.

“Hey, I hate to bring this up, but um… If she’s gone, who’s buying our breakfast?” Finn asked after a few moments of silence.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Rose grinned, holding up a matte black piece of plastic between her fingers.

“You _pickpocketed_ Grandma Hellcat?” Finn hissed.

“Not just pickpocketed,” Rey chimed in, eyeing the impressive card. “That’s an Amex black card. We could buy everything in this entire hotel.”

“Nat,” Innara whispered in her mate’s ear, “shouldn’t we do something about that?”

“You’re damn right we should. Who wants to go peruse the convention booths?”

  


She didn’t normally allow uninvited guests to take over her lunch break, but when they were buying and sent a polite card ahead requesting to converse about her son, Leia Organa-Solo could make an exception.

Privacy had been mentioned, so she’d called her favorite restaurant in the city and had a booth reserved in the back. Her lunch partner was already there, sipping an ice water and observing the rest of the patrons with a keen eye. She was older than Leia, old enough that her pheromones were almost nonexistent, but she knew a fellow alpha when she met one.

“Ms. Bluebird, I take it?” She greeted, settling into the booth across from the small-boned old woman. In the dark, she had thought her hair was white with age, but now she realised it was just a very pale blonde color, at odds with the bronze-ish tone of her skin, an unusual combination that peaked her interest.

The older woman smiled thinly, shaking Leia’s hand with more strength than she expected in her aged hands.

“Sarah Bluebird-Argent. I must say, you aren’t entirely what I was expecting when I decided to arrange a meeting with the woman who raised up Kylo Ren,” she said boldly.

“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” Leia said carefully, taking her seat and ordering a glass of white wine from the attentive server. “When we spoke on the phone, you said your granddaughter was an associate of my son’s, but I’m afraid no one I know seems likely to fit that description.”

“No? Your son has a large pack, does he not? And you are a well-educated, intelligent woman.” Her stormy gray eyes sparkled with some kind of private amusement. “Perhaps I am simply not what you would expect, given what you know of my son’s daughter.”

Leia frowned, remembering how the woman’s unusual appearance had sparked something in her memory, and as she peered at Sarah’s gray-green eyes, the pupils contracted slightly, taking on a suggestion of vertical slits. All the pieces fell together in her mind, she remembered where she’d seen that pale wispy hair before, and she sat back, sipping her wine thoughtfully.

“My apologies, Mrs. Argent. You are quite definitely _not_ what I expected.”

“Well, now that we’re both on the same page,” she replied, more than a touch of a Midwest drawl in her voice, “you can clue me in on what sort of dangerous situation our kids are throwing themselves into. They’re sure determined not to tell me any single thing.”

“I’m not surprised. My son is a very private person. But I do have a few ways of keeping my eye on him when I need to.” She paused. “Wasn’t Renata in the armed forces? Hunters rarely retire, so I hear. I’m curious why you’ve developed a sudden interest in her safety at this particular moment.”

“Hm. You’re sharp, I’ll give you that.” She grimaced, leaning forward. “Do you happen to know what the statistics for alpha/omega pairings are in the feline community?”

“Of course. I’ve been in politics my whole life.”

“Then you’ll know why I’ve taken a sudden interest in all of my gifted descendants.” Sarah Argent glanced away, a forlorn glint in her stormy eyes. “Several of our breeds are dying. The North American Lynx is making a comeback, but the Scottish Wildcat is disappearing into the local feral population. There’s been talk of breeding incentives, even certain initiatives some would like to see made into law. Which is… Fine talk, I suppose, if you’re not too bright, and you don’t look so close.”

“Ah. I’ve seen some of those documents myself. Informally, of course, but isn’t it interesting how they all seem to contain the same provisions for an international registry?”

“I believe we've seen the same documents.” Sarah pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Of course, I am concerned with the survival of werecats, in our own country and internationally, however… I don't know about you, Senator, but the last time my people were placed on a registry… It was not a good thing.”

Leia felt the other woman’s stare, and looked up to meet it, alpha to alpha.

“My grandmother escaped Germany with nothing but her life,” Leia said slowly. “Tell me, Mrs. Argent -”

“Sarah. You call me, Sarah, Senator.”

“Alright, if you’ll call me Leia.” She smiled faintly, and the elderly woman nodded. “Have you ever heard of the Knights of Fenris, Sarah?”

“Oh, my. It’d be hard not to, nowadays. Used to be that lot kept their bigotry under the rug where it belongs. For awhile it seemed they were even going extinct. Why do you suppose they seem to be making a comeback now?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Oh? My information was that you were harboring one of their leaders in your own house, Leia. If I’ve been lied to, I’ll have to reconsider who I trust in this part of the country.” Her eyes flashed in the dim light, the reflective glint covering slit-pupils as Sarah leaned forward slightly. “But I don’t think I’ve been lied to.”

Leia sighed audibly, leaning back away from the other woman’s intense scrutiny. Obviously, the Argents were gifted in patience and observation skills, though Renata used them very differently than her grandmother.

“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?’”

It was a fairly rhetorical question, and Sarah raised an eyebrow in surprise, but her mind worked quickly for an old woman. “Are you implying that you consider your own brother to be your enemy?”

“A long time ago, I made the mistake of underestimating Luke,” she admitted slowly. “He attacked my son, and like a fool, I gave him the chance to apologize. I even thought he’d amended his fanatical views. But attempting to go after Rey was low, even for him.”

“He nearly killed my granddaughter. I hate to think of what would have happened had Renata not been there to defend the girl,” Sarah put in, making it perfectly clear that she had taken the attack against her family quite seriously. “Now, I hear you’re a dangerous person to have as an enemy, Leia, and believe you me, I don’t want that. But you should know, I will protect my tribe at all costs. Renata’s made it clear she stands with your son, so I suppose that means I’m on his side as well, even if he is an arrogant little snot.”

Leia sipped from her water glass thoughtfully, her gaze on the old woman’s gnarled, fine-boned hands as she idly wondered just how old Sarah Argent actually was. She would not be surprised to find the old werelynx was over a century, and she realized she wasn’t entirely sure how old Renata even was.

“I’ll be happy to have you as an ally, then.”

She set down her glass, and met the alpha’s gaze again. An understanding was reached, and she beckoned to the server to take their order. It seemed this would be a working lunch, after all.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo covered their path as both women darted for cover, nearly trampling Rose and Elle, who were watching from the edge of the curtain. Rey summoned the Skywalker klaive as soon as they were backstage, and Elle and several other gasped at the sudden display and the red crackle of the intimidating blade.
> 
> “Is that entirely necessary?” Elle questioned.
> 
> “I saw Skywalker,” Rey explained.

“You look fine, Rose. You're going to be fine. Besides, it doesn't matter if anyone likes the way we look,” Rey said again, bolstering her own courage as much as her friend's.

Rose gave her another nervous look, as if she had something on the tip of her tongue to say, but then thought better of it. Instead, she smoothed the sheer dark green fabric of her robe over hips, and dabbed at her eyeliner in the mirror one more time.

“Rey, do you trust Renata?” She asked suddenly. “I mean, I know she saved your life, but do you trust her… As an alpha?”

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but I can’t imagine a situation where I wouldn’t trust the woman who literally took a projectile to the neck for me.” Rey fixed her friend with a puzzled expression. “Why, do you think she’s going to back out of your deal, or something?”

“Renata would never do that. She’s as good as her word, always.”

The familiar voice startled them, but Rose didn’t seem as put off by Innara in her sultry little outfit as Rey had expected. In fact, she sounded almost relieved when she got up to greet the werecat, wrapping her in a quick hug that the older woman awkwardly returned.

“I have to apologize again for how I treated you -”

“No, no, don’t worry about it. We’ve already been through this. I think we’re guilty of misjudging you as well,” Rey insisted. “I’m sorry I -”

“Both of you shut up! I swear to God, if you Brits start another ‘I’m sorry’ sandwich, I’m going to find Elle and walk down that stage ahead of the next number,” Rose threatened quickly, releasing Innara and facing them both with her hands on her hips. “We all could have handled that better, and the next time something comes up, we’ll try to be better adults. Agreed?”

Rey laughed, rolling her eyes slightly, and Innara just gave Rose a tight smile and inclined her head.

“Have you told Rey all of the details?” 

Innara frowned as Rose shook her head, and Rey eyed them back and forth curiously, wondering what secret the two cats could possibly share that she didn’t already know about. Then again… They were cats, after all. They were probably hoarding secrets instinctively, to spill out at the most dramatic moment for their own amusement.

“I thought we agreed it would be a pack-inclusive decision?” Innara pressed. 

Rose shrugged, giving Rey an apologetic glance. “It’s not like it has to happen tonight. I thought the whole purpose of this thing was to bid on a heat. Unless yours is already starting.”

“No. I suppose you’re right.” She grinned at Rey’s disappointed glower, proving her earlier assumption about werecats correct. “We’ll savor our secret for a  _ little _ longer.”

“Okay, ladies and gents!” Elle appeared in the dressing room, clapping her hands for attention. “Now, you’ve all got a card under your seats, if you’ll look for me. The number there will be both your turn order and the number on the bidding jars. Remember, none of the alphas know who you are, and the lights will be dimmed, so put on your masks and let’s go have some fun!”

Innara lazily turned over her card, revealing the number one with a little bemused smile, leaving Rey and Rose with a wink as she slipped the purple-and-gold Mardi Gras mask she had chosen over her face.

Rey had almost forgotten to look at hers as she watched Innara leave, feeling her mouth suddenly grow dry and her tongue glue itself to the roof of her mouth. Her hands only trembled slightly as she unfolded the little piece of paper, and she eyed it briefly before showing the number eight to Rose. She held hers out in turn, a carefully-written nine with a long stem to distinguish it from a six.

“Imagine that.” She slipped her phone out from the black lace garter around her thigh, typing out a quick message to Kylo so that he could pass it on to Renata’s cousin. She felt a bit guilty for using the other woman’s family like this, when they had come all the here to work out a more advantageous arrangement, but when she’d brought it up, the alpha of the pairing had chuckled and told her not to add to her worries, and Renata smiled coyly and refused to engage.

_ I’m 8. _

_ The cats are up to something. _

_ Rose is 9. _

 

_ They are, but even Finn’s not talking. _

_ I know better than to ask Nat. _

 

_ Can’t get anything out of Rose or Innara, either. _

 

_ Don’t think about it now. _

_ We’ve got to stay sharp. _

_ I love you. _

 

_ Love you too! _

 

“Everyone back here looks so poised,” Rose complained in a hushed whisper. “I feel like we’re infiltrating an enemy base…. With really bad costumes. Like Monty Python or something.”

“Well, we are, sort of,” Rey shrugged, looking over at Rose’s beautiful dark green corset, the firm stays pushing up her round breasts and accentuating the swell of her hips. She had done her eye makeup in shades of emerald, with a line of silver glitter, and had her hair in soft ringlets around her shoulders. “But I don’t know about the bad costuming. Finn is going to lose his mind, just watch.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course he is!” She scoffed. “He’ll want to drag you off that stage. Renata and Kylo will be chaining him to his seat.”

“Uh-huh. And just how do you think the Big Bad Wolf is going to feel about his little piglet parading around in a house full of tinder?” Rose smirked as Rey started to bite her lip, then recalled she was wearing a ridiculous amount of  _ black _ lipstick. “I hope that monster can control himself, because the last thing we need is a scene -”

“I know, I know.” Rey sighed, and Rose reached out to squeeze her hand. “We can’t let ourselves get distracted. We’re here for a reason, and it’s not just to make our alphas drool.”

“I won’t mind seeing a little drool.”

Their eyes met, and Rey couldn’t hide the little glint of mischief in her eyes, or the high giggle that escaped her throat. They were really going to do this. Walk around on a stage in high heels and lingerie, in front of a pack of roving eyes and shifting stances. Hopefully their entire pack could manage one functioning brain between them, to keep an eye on their real task.

“Thank God for Jacen and Ishida,” she said, wresting her mind away from thoughts of Kylo climbing onto the stage and taking her right there, fighting off all the other alphas around them. “Our boys are going to be all but useless while we’re on stage, and I don’t know that Renata will be any better.”

“She’s a little better,” Rose put in half-heartedly. “A  _ little _ .”

“She’s just very good at concealing her thoughts,” Innara sniped into their hushed conversation, sneaking over to dig under the table she’d been using beside Rose. She slipped a simple long cocktail dress of shimmering gold over her risque bra and panties, and used the mirror to pull her hair up into an artful messy bun. “Rest assured, she’s just as devious as the boys inside that pretty little head.”

“Really?” Rose murmured with interest, and Rey felt her eyebrows rise practically into her hairline, but before she could open her mouth, Elle appeared, slipping between her and Rose. 

“You’re up next, Rey.”

She swallowed, rising on semi-shaky legs, and was grateful she’d talked Rose out of the ridiculous stilettos some of the others were wearing. The two-and-a-half inches of patent-leather platform felt unsteady enough, though she grew more accustomed to it as she made her way to the curtain. One glimpse through at the crowd, and she caught Kylo’s gaze unwavering from the stage, practically searing scorch marks into the center from where he sat right along the front between Renata and Jacen.

“Alright, just like we rehearsed, love,” Elle whispered encouragingly. “I’ll announce your number, and then you go slow to the end of the line, turn around and give them a little wiggle as you head back. Got it?”

Rey nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and the older woman patted her arm reassuringly.

“You’re going to be fine. Just keep your eyes on Kylo, pretend he’s the only one there and you’re giving him a little tease. Right?”

“I can do that.” Rey set her chin determinedly, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. Swallowing again, she found her mate and focused on him as Elle suggested, a smile touching her lips as soon as she came into view and his mouth opened. 

Imaging they were alone was surprisingly easy, he was almost a head taller than everyone else in the room, and no one would dare crowd him. The lights were darkened overhead, making him appear to be almost by himself beside the flash of pale hair and spiky jacket belonging to Renata. Kylo’s eyes roved over her, and she could see his jaw working as he took her in, his tongue coming out to wet his mouth as if he really were drooling. On pure instinct, she let the sheer, glittery black robe she wore fall down to her elbows, exposing her bare shoulders and the miraculous cleavage the lingerie managed to give her. Her hands smoothed slowly over the soft crushed velvet bodice, a shade of dark red she knew Kylo would approve of, and his eyes followed the movement intently heat scorching the air between them like the top of a caldera.

She winked as she passed him, dropping her gaze for a fraction of a second, and her animal brain registered the threat and dropped her to the floor before she even knew what she was doing. But there was no mistaking that face, it was seared into her memory before a backdrop of sunny highway, the wreckage of the limo and the fallen water-tribe shifters creating a gruesome, vivid scene. Blindly, she sought Kylo’s mind, and felt him nearby, just as a sudden weight rocked the platform above her, the massive black beast sheltering her from harm.

_ Skywalker! I saw him! _

Vainly, she tried to look around the solid pillars of black fur that caged her, but it was no use, and Kylo wouldn’t move. She caught Renata’s scent as she darted up onto the stage as well, wisely using his bulk as cover, her hidden pistol with the enchanted bullets drawn but not aimed, and she heard Finn ordering the lights turned on into his ear piece.

“What did you see? What happened?” Kylo’s lieutenant knelt beside Rey, her sharp gaze flicking over her once, reassuring herself that she was unharmed.

“Skywalker,” she whispered, jerking her head. “There, to the left.”

Renata growled, and Kylo’s massive head swung, preventing his friend from leaping down off the stage to investigate. She shoved at him roughly, trying to peer into the corner of the room, and the massive wolf nudged her again, very pointedly eyeing the backstage area behind the curtain.

“Alright, fine.” Nat’s hand fell to help Rey up. “C’mon, sweetie.”

Kylo covered their path as both women darted for cover, nearly trampling Rose and Elle, who were watching from the edge of the curtain. Rey summoned the Skywalker klaive as soon as they were backstage, and Elle and several other gasped at the sudden display and the red crackle of the intimidating blade.

“Is that entirely necessary?” Elle questioned. 

“I saw Skywalker,” Rey explained.

“Are you sure?” Rose hissed, gripping her free hand, and she nodded firmly, going to cover the stage entrance as Renata scoped around the back exit.

“I thought I smelled something familiar earlier,” Nat confirmed. “I didn’t want to set off any alarms unless we had visual, but we’re doing a full sweep now.”

She raised her voice, giving a quiet but firm alpha command to the others backstage. “Everyone up here around the lights, please.”

Rey was unsurprised to see Elle with a small pistol in her hand, taking the stage door position as she guarded the other omegas and Nat shoved open the back door with her hip, glowing eyes scanning everything before she let it fall closed and stood beside it.

“Finn and Jace are looking out back,” she explained quickly. “Kylo’s searching the banquet room.”

But of course, all of their searching turned up nothing, and Rey noted several people giving Renata speculative looks, some murmuring about the wisdom of putting a jumpy ex-Hunter partially in charge of security. She opened her mouth to point out that she was the one who had sounded the alarm, but Elle shook her head to silence her. The older woman was a storm of energy as she bustled around the stage area, gave instructions to the lighting technicians, and prepared for the show to continue after the brief interruption, smoothing tempers and nerves with a firm confidence.

Once Rose had done her walk, Elle snuck over to speak to them both in hushed whispers as they dressed and prepared to join the rest of their pack in the banquet room outside.

“Let them think it was just a jumpy old alpha,” she advised. “Renata can take the heat, and if you really want to catch Skywalker, it’s best if we brush the incident off as nothing serious.” She fixed them both with a meaningful look in her gimlet eyes, and Rose nodded in agreement. “You want to catch these fiends, not chase them away to attack again later.”

“Right.” Rose smoothed the glittering blue pencil skirt she’d slipped on over her lingerie and fiddled with the buttons on her shirt. Elle gave them both a quick squeeze before heading off to encourage another first-time participant. Rose continued to pick nervously at her clothing, and Rey tilted her head, noticing her apparent reluctance to go out to the join the party.

“Hey, Rey?” She swallowed, looking up and Rey met her eyes warmly.

“Got something you want to tell me?”

“Just… Don’t judge me, or - or anyone - okay? I just have to talk to someone or I’m gonna lose my mind, and you’re the only one I can really trust with this…”

“Okay.” Rey gestured to the small space around their dressing tables. “This is an official judgment-free zone. So, spill it.”

“Renata’s gonna bid on me, and Finn’s gonna bid on Innara and we’re gonna go through with her crazy grandma’s scheme so they can have a kid and I agreed to it, I think it will be neat, having a kit around, sort of ties us all together, right?” Rey stared at her, stunned. The shorter woman reached out and gripped her wrists, loosely, begging for acceptance. “I know, you didn’t grow up as a ‘shifter, I’m sure this all seems really weird to you, but cats are… We’re not exactly wired for monogamy, and I don’t really want to go through a pregnancy, and I know you don’t either, but -”

“But it will be Finn’s kid! With - with another omega! How are any of you just  _ okay _ with that?” She couldn’t even imagine tolerating Kylo being with another person, let alone an omega, and having someone else carry his child? The very idea made Rey want to find him and bite every inch of the arm she’d claimed him on.

Rose sighed patiently. “ _ Because _ … Think about it. I know you don’t want them, and I don’t really either, but there will always be that instinct to nurture something, to contribute and… We can spoil it rotten, indulge those instincts, and then leave it to Renata and Innara to do the actual parenting. And, I already said, cats are different. We don’t have the same possessive feelings you wolves do.”

“Rose, you don’t even like Innara.”

“She’s growing on me, a bit.” She shrugged. “It means a lot that she owned up to being a bitch and apologized. I don’t know a lot of women who would do that.”

“I don’t know a lot of  _ people _ who would do that,” Rey agreed. It was true, Innara seemed genuinely apologetic, and if anything, the temporary separation had made them all a bit closer. She made a face. “I can’t say I’m thrilled at the idea of living with a baby around, though. Kylo will hate it.”

“They’re looking into buying out the other unit on our floor. Jacen sort of wants a real room, now that he’s getting all domestic with Poe, and you’re right.” She laughed. “I can’t imagine Kylo tolerating waking up at three in the morning to shrill screeching.”

“Huh. Well, it seems like you guys have talked, so…” She shrugged. “Does Kylo know?”

“Renata’s supposed to have filled him in.”

“I can only imagine how that conversation went.” Rey rolled her eyes, and Rose grinned. She gestured, indicating the party. “Shall we, then?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

They headed to the door, but Rey stopped as a few pieces clicked into place in her mind, and she turned to give her friend a wide-eyed look.

“Wait. Does that mean… You and Renata…?” Rose blushed, but she was smiling, the glint in her eyes anything but innocent. “Oh. I mean, you don’t have to, right?”

“No… but, I want to.”

“Er. Hmm.” And then, because her curiosity was now peaked, she leaned in to whisper a follow-up. “Have you ever been with another woman?”

“Yeah, she wasn’t an alpha, though.” Rose’s eyes sparkled, a mix of emotions crossing her warm features - excitement, anxiety, arousal. For a second, all of Rey’s actual opinions on the matter disappeared and instead she contemplated the idea of Renata as an  _ alpha _ , doing alpha things, giving orders and - she shook her head, blushing furiously and trying to hide it.

“Somehow I imagine she knows what she’s doing,” she said, the thought skipping her word filter entirely.

Rose made a noise of agreement, and they both entered the darkened room giggling, much to the consternation of their friends and mates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd this is probably where I lose some readers, but ehhh... If you're this far in and you don't like my OC, I dunno what to tell you. Stay for the action sequences??


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is that your… omega? The wild-born?” Just the man’s voice set Rey on edge, and she found herself clenching her teeth, a low growl rising in her throat. “Oh, my, she is fierce, isn’t she?” He chuckled, and then Kylo moved suddenly, his hand striking out lightning-quick.
> 
> “Keep your filthy hands off her,” he snarled. “You could sell your soul to the devil for billions and I’d never accept your offer, so just get the fuck away before I make you.”

Rey perched uneasily on the arm of Kylo’s chair, smiling whenever someone was introduced to her, but otherwise too preoccupied to give the gathering much attention.

Not that it didn’t  _ call _ for attention. Before Kylo had rescued her during her first heat, Rey’s exposure to other shapeshifters had been somewhat limited. Her guardian, Unkar, had been a lazy old asshole, in addition to lying about his secondary gender and essentially prostituting some of the more vulnerable omegas placed in his care. Despite the way he used his tribe to intimidate people, she had only seen him actually  _ take _ his bear form a couple of times, mostly when he was chasing down a runaway. Rey had always kept to the edge of the property line, spending as much time in her wolf form as she was allowed, coming in only to eat and do the pile of demanding chores he dumped upon her. When the weather was tolerable - and sometimes even if it wasn’t - she slept outside in a bed of leaves inside a hollowed out log, or under the dingy carport if it was raining or sleeting.

She’d known a few other wolves, two of whom were omegas that Unkar married off, but they hadn’t exactly been a pack. The closest bonds she’d formed since coming to San Francisco for Leia’s internship had been with Rose, and then Finn, and while spending time at the Purple Panther had been… enlightening… at first, it hadn’t really registered to her until the convention just how  _ different _ shapeshifter norms were from the majority human population’s. In the massive space of the convention center, there had been so much going on and so many things to look at, Rey had found it easy to simply avert her eyes, or wander away from any public scene, and what she’d done with Kylo… well, they had tried to be discreet.

No one here was trying to be discreet, in the slightest. Except for maybe Jacen and Poe, but poor Poe looked like he was one shot away from passing out in his boyfriend’s arms. Her cheeks flushed as she looked over to them now, seeing how Jace had rearranged the smaller man over his lap, facing him rather than the room, and Poe had his face buried in the warm cherrywood skin of Jacen’s shoulder.

“Jesus, Kylo,” she whispered, bending to his ear. “You could have warned me about… this…”

“Given our activities yesterday, I didn’t think it would bother you so much.” He snaked an arm around her waist, his long fingers fitting over the curve of her hip. “Don’t tell me you want to leave.”

“I just… I’m… It’s a small room, and… those are my friends -”

“It is a lot, isn’t it?” The crisp consonants sounded in her ears like a cool breeze, and Rey looked up to see Ishida taking a seat across from them, lounging more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. “The proper Englishwoman emerges at last from our little wild cub. And here I thought you’d be entirely unbothered.”

“It makes you uncomfortable as well, doesn’t it?” She tried to smile, to focus her gaze on the glass of whisky in his hands rather than anything else. At least Ishida was wearing clothes, simple black jeans and a faded band t-shirt… that she was pretty sure belonged to Renata. And that she was pretty sure Renata was  _ wearing _ not more than five minutes ago.

She started to look around, wondering where the werelynx had snuck off to, but then realized she didn’t exactly want to see whatever Nat and Innara were up too if it involved the removal of Nat’s tshirt.

“Nice shirt,” Kylo said with a knowing smirk. “You wearing Innara’s lingerie underneath it, too?”

“Kylo!”

But Ishida only smirked, slipping a hand pointed into his pocket and giving them both a quick view of a scrap of black lace. Kylo grinned, raising his glass in a sort of congratulatory manner, and Rey couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“I don’t know how you can all just… carry on like this now, after earlier…” Rey bit her lip, catching her eyes wandering over at the sight of Kat’s rainbow hair, somewhere far too low to the ground for Rey to really want to look more closely. “It would be so easy for someone to do real damage here, practically everyone is distracted.”

Because that was the real problem, if she were being honest with herself. It wasn’t so much that she found all of the public displays vexing, or disgusting in anyway. It was sort of rather the opposite, and Rey was subjecting herself to an embarrassing inner tirade of guilt, both at her straying eyes and the fact that she was allowing her senses to be overwhelmed so easily.

“That’s what the betas are here for,” Ishida reminded her softly. “And, of course, my sister’s people.”

“Oh yes, because you’re obviously not distracted at all with your girlfriend’s clothes all over you,” Rey scowled. “Being a beta doesn’t mean you’re a bloody saint.”

“Of course not. But I can still think when I’m aroused, nearly as well as I normally think, and we are… much more easily sated,” he explained, exchanging an amused glance with Kylo. “Still, I’m ashamed to find that none of you thought to warn Rey that this whole thing is basically one big ridiculous orgy. She’s only twenty, after all.”

Kylo’s eyes drifted over to hers, dark and wide, and he looked her over slowly with a closed, speculative gaze as his hand tightened on her hip. “Rose and Renata didn’t tell you?”

“They may have… said a few things…” Rey flushed, dropping her eyes into Kylo’s lap, where he held a glass of some dark amber alcohol. “But you know Rose. She blushes at everything, and Renata wasn’t very descriptive…”

“Cats,” Ishida commiserated, chuckling. “They’re not the most forthcoming creatures.”

“No, they’re not,” Kylo agreed absently, his eyes still fixed on Rey. His hand slid over a fraction, his thumb brushing the top of her thigh beneath her simple black cocktail dress. 

Rey took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she barely suppressed a moan of pleasure at that light touch. She hadn’t quite realized how keyed up she was just by the atmosphere, but Kylo’s touch had her whole body warming, aching for more.

“Ishida,” Kylo muttered without looking at the other man.

“Right. I’ll go take a walk around and check in with Yue,” he answered, correctly reading his pack leader’s implied order. At Kylo’s absent nod, he left them, and Kylo wasted no time in placing his drink on the table and pulling Rey into his lap.

“Up,” he insisted, lifting her so she straddled him, her knees sinking in between his hips and the cushioned leather of the chair. Rey trembled when he pressed his mouth to the column of her throat, breathing her in and exhaling against her flushed skin, scraping his teeth very gently against her.

“Oh, God, Kylo -” Her voice was louder than she intended, and she leaned forward, burying her face in his neck. With Kylo’s calming, beloved scent surrounding her, she felt some of the tension in her body ease, and she sighed as he stroked her back with one splayed palm. 

“Everyone can see us,” Rey murmured. She knew he didn’t care, and if he wanted her right there, she would probably let him have her, but the idea was just as embarrassing as it was arousing.

“Most of them are preoccupied, remember?” His voice rumbled in her ear. His mouth was absolutely sinful against her neck, and she did moan out loud when he found her mating glad and swiped his tongue over it lazily. “Let me help you, Rey. I know you enjoyed it yesterday, when I had you all over that fucking convention.”

“We were more discreet -”

“Barely.”

His hand slid down to her thigh, wriggling up under the hem of her dress, resting lazily cupped around her cheek. He stroked the satin of her panties with one thumb, continuing to kiss and lick and nibble his way down one side of her neck and up the other.

Rey whimpered and moaned, unable to keep herself from grinding a little against him, the feel of Kylo’s thick alpha cock delicious through the soft fabric of her underwear.

“That’s it, sweetheart. You’re gonna come for me just like this. Keep your voice down and no one will even know -”

“Kylo Ren?”

Rey froze at the sound of a voice behind her, but Kylo’s hands on her were tight, one arm pulling her protectively against his chest as he answered in a low sneer.

“Yeah, what do you want, Tarkin?”

“Is that your… omega? The wild-born?” Just the man’s voice set Rey on edge, and she found herself clenching her teeth, a low growl rising in her throat. “Oh, my, she is fierce, isn’t she?” He chuckled, and then Kylo moved suddenly, his hand striking out lightning-quick.

“Keep your filthy hands off her,” he snarled. “You could sell your soul to the devil for billions and I’d never accept your offer, so just get the fuck away before I make you.”

“You always did have a nasty temper,” the stranger replied in a sneering voice that didn’t seem nearly as frightened as it should have. For a moment, Rey was afraid he would make a scene, but she sensed him moving away and slumped against Kylo’s chest as he held her tight. When he made to release her, to continue what the sneering man had interrupted, Rey whimpered and clung to him, refusing to move. She even licked his neck submissively, pleading for his understanding, and Kylo growled irritably but obliged her, stroking her back and keeping his arm tight around her.

“That son-of-a-bitch is nothing,” he reassured her. “Don’t worry about him. He used to work for my grandfather, and he’s always had it out for my mom. He likes to taunt us, but he’s a spineless piece of garbage.”

“If you say so.” 

“I do.”

Rey kept her face buried in Kylo’s neck, breathing him in. Her fingers dove into his hair almost on instinct, craving the feel of it, and she combed them gently through the soft waves as she calmed. He made small, comforting sounds against her ear, telling her she was safe and good and oh, so very precious to him.

After a few minutes, she sat up, meeting his gaze a bit sheepishly. Kylo’s eyes swept over her with intense focus, searching her face and body for signs of distress.

“Better?”

“Yes. Sorry. I’m just… on edge…” 

“Of course you are. Dammit, I’m the one who should be sorry, Rey. I know how difficult this is for you, with your anxiety, and I just decided to push you… For my own pleasure, really.” He hung his head, pressing his forehead against hers. “God dammit, I’m an asshole. We’ll leave as soon as they announce the end of bidding, okay?”

“Is that alright? Won’t it be obvious then that you… that you’re not going to consider…”

“No. It’s probably a little rude, but some people take days to consider all the offers. No one who knows me - or you - at all will expect an answer tonight.” Kylo glanced around behind her. “Do you see Elle or Lando anywhere?”

“Ah…” Rey shifted uncomfortably. She had seen Lando earlier, but had looked away quickly, and didn’t really relish the idea of looking around the room again. But if it meant they could leave sooner… She craned her head over Kylo’s chair, peering into the darkened corner by the bar, where she had seen Lando earlier.

He must have still been there, because there was definitely movement going on under the table in front of him, and there was bright splash of emerald green silk that she recognized as one of the club owner’s trademark jackets.

“I think he’s behind us, over by the bar, but he’s… er… occupied.”

“Mmm. That doesn’t mean anything,” Kylo murmured, amused. “I’ll go -”

“No, don’t leave me alone, please!” She panicked when he tried to rise, digging her fingers into his hair and shoulder, and it was only Kylo’s sharp hiss that made her realise she’d half-shifted, scratching his arm with her claws. “Sorry… Sorry, Kylo, alpha… I’ll make it up to you, I promise…”

“Shh… We’ll talk about it later. You just sit tight and hold onto me as much as you want, I’m going to text the others. I won’t leave you when you need me, Rey. You should know that.”

“I know, I just… I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright -”

“No, it really isn’t, I’m being terribly needy and I don’t want to be that kind of girl -”

“Be silent,  _ omega _ !” Rey shut her jaw with a snap, and Kylo sighed, stroking her hair. “I’m not upset with you, alright? You have nothing to be sorry for, Rey. Tell me you understand.”

“Yes, alpha. I understand.” She didn’t really, but she remained quietly hiding against him as he fished his phone from his pocket and awkwardly tapped out messages with one hand. 

What she really wanted was her medication and a pile of blankets, but Rey didn’t want to take anything that would compromise her response time if Skywalker was lingering nearby. Kylo’s presence was the next best thing, especially when he set his phone down and began gently licking her glands, his long, warm tongue soothing over the base of her jaw and below her ear on both sides, before lavishing attention on her mating bite.

Rey was half-asleep, in a sort of dreamlike haze when Jacen found them, sitting on the table across from Kylo and speaking in hushed tones that she might have been able to hear if she tried, but she didn’t think her input was necessary. Kylo knew her, he knew how this thing was organized, and Jacen was a generally kind and understanding sort of man, Rey felt fairly safe from his judgment.

She let herself drift in that half-state for the rest of the evening, curled up in Kylo’s lap drowsily, as he pet her and stroked her and reassured her in every way he could, until he was carrying her out to the car and had to rouse her to sit up so he could fasten her seatbelt.

“It’s okay for us to leave?”

“Sweetheart, if I’d known how uneasy you were, I’d have carried you out of there the second you stepped off the stage,” he said after he kissed her forehead. “You’re almost in a subspace now.”

“I’m… I’m what…?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of you,” he promised heatedly. “Even if I am a fucking failure of an alpha at the moment. This is my fault, Rey, you've done nothing wrong, please… Please, understand me.”

Rey tried to process what he’d said, but it was like trying to think logically inside a dream. Her thoughts swirled around, slipping from her grasp no matter how hard she tried to hold onto them, and if she hadn’t already been drifting, she might have panicked. A part of her still was, the cunning, clever orphan that hated to rely on anyone and always had a plan was practically foaming, but Kylo was there and he smelled so good, she didn’t mind letting him care for her. Of course he would care for her. He was her alpha.

Kylo’s hand closed over hers, and then he was putting something cool and damp in it, a rounded, oblong plastic thing that she eventually figured out contained water.

“Drink this for me, please, baby girl?” Rey nodded, but she struggled with the cap, unable to summon her usual strength until she really forced herself. When she finally got it open and held it to her mouth, the water was crisp and absolutely delicious on her tongue, and she downed half of it without realising. “That’s it, good. Fuck, I'm sorry. Keep drinking until it’s empty, okay?”

“Yes, alpha,” she agreed immediately, leaning into his hand as Kylo stroked her head. There was something unusual in his scent, some off thing about his fond smile that tugged at the back of her mind, but she was too tired to push for it. He wasn’t angry or upset with  _ her _ , and that was enough for Rey.

Her alpha was gentle with her, but she had no doubt he would be deadly to anyone who dared come near her like this. What had he called it? Subspace?

There was something familiar about that term, something to do with omegas… Well, it didn’t really matter right now, did it? Kylo would keep her safe until she was herself again. He was, really, the picture of a perfect alpha, at least in her mind. Even if he seemed to think he'd made some horrible mistake, Rey was certain everything would be fine so long as be stayed by her side. Protecting her.

Rey licked her lips, gazing over at him as he drove, watching his impossibly large hands move gracefully over the steering wheel, the bright lights of the night-time roadway reflecting in his focused eyes.

“Kylo… You're not… ”

“Shh… You’re alright, sweetheart.” He spared her a glance, reaching over to squeeze her hand, and Rey gripped his hand in both of hers with as much strength as she could muster.

“Kylo… I’m yours, aren’t I?” There was a lovely, familiar warmth spreading through her body, and she had to stop herself from struggling out of her clothes right there and begging him to take her. He couldn’t do that, he was driving. Stupid animal brain. Rey shut her eyes, trying and failing to _think._

“Will you… take me when we’re… safe?” Yes, safe. Her alpha was taking her somewhere safe, away from all the people and the darkness and the thick, overwhelming scents of sweat and alcohol and mating. Somewhere with blankets, hopefully. 

And then they would mate, and he'd fill her with his knot, and everything would make sense again. “Please, alpha?”

“Oh, Rey. You have no idea how much I want that.” His voice was so low it sent shivers through her, and Rey lifted his hand to rub her face against his wrist, to kiss the beautiful, porcelain pale skin over the winding blue veins there. Kylo groaned audibly, shifting in his seat, and the sound was music to her ears.

“Enough,” he said finally, disentangling himself. “I want you, too, Rey, but I need to drive. So I’m going to touch you, but you don’t get to touch me. Understand? Say it.”

“I can’t touch you, but you’re going to touch me,” she agreed, somewhat regretfully.

“Don’t pout at me like that. God, you’re going to be furious when you come out of this…” His hand slipped down her thigh, up and under the hem of her dress. “Move so I can reach you.”

She did as he asked, gasping when his fingers reached between her thighs, lightly caressing over the smooth satin of her underwear.

“Is this okay? Rey?”

“I’m yours,” she answered immediately. Did he not understand that he could do whatever he wanted? He had caught her and claimed her. Won her. 

“Your mate,” she clarified. “You took me. On the beach. I fought, but you won. Remember?”

His expression when he looked over at her during the next stoplight was both confused and heated, and Rey could scent his arousal at the memory. She wriggled against his touch, craving more, and whined plaintively when he continued to stroke outside of her underwear. Suddenly, Rey hated clothes, and she fought against the part of her brain that insisted she couldn’t just tear her dress off in the middle of traffic.

“I still need your consent, Rey,” Kylo said mildly. “You may not think so, but I do.”

“You can do whatever you want to me,” she insisted. “I’ll fight if it’s… if you hurt me… but mating isn’t hurt.”

“Hmm.”

“Please, alpha -”

“I have a name,” he reminded in that same careful voice, making her kind of wish he would hurt her, so she’d have a reason to snap at him.

“I know. Kylo,” she emphasised each syllable forcefully. “Kylo, please. You said you would touch me.”

“Yes, I did. And you’ve been good, answering me.” His fingers roved, finding the band of her panties and dipping under it, to rub gently right where she wanted him. She thought he might have chuckled at her immediate, enthusiastic response, but Rey didn’t care, she ached for release and his touch was divine. “That’s it, good girl. You can rub yourself against me, just don’t touch with your hands.”

That was enough for her, she writhed in her seat, clenching her thighs around his hand, moaning and gasping as the friction and pressure brought her closer and closer to the pleasurable crescendo she needed.

“K-Kylo,” she cried his name, since he’d made it clear he preferred that. “More, please, I need -”

“I know what you need, but you’re going to come this way first. We’re still at least ten minutes from home.”

The ferocity of her growl surprised even Rey, and he turned to look at her at the next light, eyes widening slightly at whatever he found there. “Easy, sweetheart.”

“I-I’m not sure what’s wrong with me…” 

Until he turned to her, she hadn’t even realised her eyes had shifted, although she could see much better along the quiet, darkened road. Kylo was taking the backstreets instead of the highway for some reason, and she felt it was important to know  _ why _ , but she couldn’t quite form the question. Rey shuddered, and Kylo turned suddenly into a darkly lit parking lot, throwing the car into park and reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt and lower the back rest with brisk efficiency.

“Shh…” He stilled her worried movements with a firm hand, the other thrust beneath her dress, a quick, delicate swipe of claw making short work of her underwear before the pads of his fingers became soft again, delving further into her slick folds. “You just need me to be your alpha for a minute, it’s alright. I will. I take care of you, Rey, always.”

He kissed her firmly, thrusting his tongue in to claim her mouth as his fingers breached her below, and Rey screamed, muffled by the kiss. She threw her head back, soft whining escaping her throat as she rocked her hips against him, swept up in the heady rush of pleasure. It didn’t take very long for Kylo to bring her to a crest, his long fingers pushed deep and his teeth settled gently around the bite on her neck.

She came back to herself slowly, as if waking from a dream, half-remembered visions of the darkened banquet room and blurry street lights swimming in her mind. She remember the catwalk, and seeing Skywalker, drawing the klaive in the dressing room, and then…

“Shit. These panic attacks are getting worse, Kylo.” Rey breathed in deeply, his scent and her own arousal mixed together a familiar comfort. She opened her eyes - her actual human eyes - to see relief and worry in her mate’s expression, those expressive eyes she loved so much wide and searching.

“Are you my Rey again, finally?” He asked with a little-half smile.

“Yeah, I think so.” She laughed softly. “Thank you for… putting up with all that. I still want you to take me when we get home, if it helps any.”

“No,” he said, quickly continuing when he saw her expression. “No, I mean, that’s great, I love having sex with you, Rey, but I’m still worried. You’re right, this is getting worse. You went into a fucking omega subspace because Tarkin leered at you -”

“Not just because of that. There was the whole walking around in my lingerie, and then bloody Skywalker -”

“Right. Yeah, okay.” Kylo sat back in his seat, slamming a fist down on the steering wheel with enough force that Rey yelped. “Sorry. I’m not angry with you.”

“I know,” she answered softly.

They were silent for a while, and Rey’s mind raced. An omega  _ subspace _ ? Where she was nearly incompetent, suggestible and unable to say no to an alpha’s orders? Suddenly she snatched up Kylo’s hand, clutching it to her face and kissing the back of it repeatedly.

“Thank God you were there… I don’t know what I’d do if… If…” Rey trembled, warm tears filling her eyes that she fought to blink back. 

Kylo gripped her hand and pulled it to his lips, repeating her gesture, and then he released her and readjusted the seats somewhat reluctantly.

“Let’s just go home, sweetheart. I won’t let you out of my sight again until we figure this out.”   
  
  


 

It would have been more effective to run the perimeter as a wolf, but Ishida was happily surrounded by his alpha’s scent, and he was loathe to remove the faded tshirt and stash it somewhere. Not to mention what he had in his pocket. Innara’s omega scent would draw anyone nearby, so close to her heat, and he wasn’t about to leave them just laying around for some pervert to find.

Besides, he had always found it easier to summon his magic in human form, probably lending credence to Yue’s belief that his powers stemmed more from his draconic heritage than the old British wolves, no matter how far back they went. Privately, he suspected it was both, his mother’s Welsh bloodline had a lot of old druids associated with it, but they had thinned out too much by mating with the human population. The addition of his father’s powerful dragon magic had simply rekindled it in him.

It was one reason he had hoped to sire a child himself, but after speaking at length to his contact among the selkies, those hopes had been dashed. At least with Innara, or any other cat. He’d learned the spell, of course, but it wasn’t powerful enough to change a person’s entire genetic family. A tiger to a panther, sure. Possibly it could even help Finn conceive with Rose, if they wished, but a canine to a feline? No. It simply wasn’t possible.

He could see both of his ladies were disappointed when he gave them that news, so he had tried to hide his own, but Renata’s solution made him… uncomfortable. Finn was great, he had no problems with the man himself, and despite being a wolf, Ishida had never been jealous or possessive, but… Somehow he couldn’t assuage the resentment that burned in his gut at the thought of raising someone else’s children.

That made him an awful person, he knew. So he’d kept his mouth shut, and agreed to their plan, and Innara and Renata both had gone to great lengths to make it up to him, lavishing him with enough attention that he’d been slightly overwhelmed tonight. And then Renata gave him her  _ clothes _ and offered to take him in her mouth, and he’d…

He’d bolted, of course, like the coward he was. All these years he’d longed for just a bit more affection from the alpha he adored, and when she finally offered it, he was too terrified to accept. But, as far as he knew, Renata had never done that, and he’d known his alpha a long, long time. She was a master of the disinterested handjob, and occasionally she’d let him go down on her, but that was about the extent of their involvement. He’d never seen her so much as glance at a man, even Kylo and Jacen shifted around her without much attempt to conceal themselves, while she just rolled her eyes and looked mildly disgusted. It wasn’t fair of him to want her so badly, and he knew that. She couldn’t help her orientation, and he thought he’d accepted that… he  _ had _ actually. Until, like a fucking idiot, he demanded her bite. For stupid, selfish reasons that had less to do with having children, and more to do with years of pent of frustration. Being in a long-term relationship with a  _married_ couple was never simple, and he thought they'd struck a balance, finally, but fucking Armitage Hux had to try and betray Kylo just because he'd found a mate...

Ishida chewed his lip, remembering the day Bazine Netal had come climbing in the window of their flat, launching herself at him with that deadly silver-and-gold dagger. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that had been the things started to change between them all. It had nothing to do with their new packmates, the fractures had already been there when Ishida and Innara were forced to fight for their lives without their alpha there to protect them. Suddenly the future had seemed a lot less certain, and they had both sought a stronger bond, a reassurance that Renata would be there next time, that the alpha still needed and wanted them both. Innara had wanted children to secure their future together, and Ishida had wanted her bite, the physical claim that told everyone that despite everything, he _belonged_ to Renata in the same way the omega did. The argument after was foolish, but the underlying issues had needed to be addressed, and they had all become more tightly-knit because of it.

After walking the entire parking lot, he went on to the back of the building, sneaking a cigarette in the face of the ‘no smoking on property’ signs. It was basically illegal to smoke at all in public in California, but Ishida had a typical shapeshifter's regard for human law, which was basically to follow it only when there were humans to see. Apart from the handful of human dates brought to the lingerie walk by their shifter partners, there was no human for several acres, just Yue’s guards in their black  _ Kaneshige  _ jackets.

He nodded to one as he stepped around the loading dock nearest the side room, where the lights and noise from inside were dying down. Elle’s voice drifted out from the microphone on stage, and he imagined she was calling for the last bids.

“Nr. Noel?” A woman’s voice called to him and he turned, seeing the guard he had passed eyeing him curiously. He was surprised to see a flash of red hair beneath her branded baseball cap, and he nodded politely.

“Yes. I’m Yue’s brother. Can I help you with something?”

“As a matter of fact, you can.”

He wheeled, summoning vines from the earth, putting his back to the raised wall of the dock. In the end, he was overcome, but he was satisfied he’d put up much more of a fight than Skywalker was prepared for. The older man bent over his slumped form, gray hair fluttering loose and tangled in the bay breeze, and Ishida laughed at the syringe he pulled from his pocket.

“You don’t know me… very well…” He managed, coughing. "If you think... you've won."

Luke Skywalker looked nearly as torn up as Ishida felt, and the compromised guard who’d helped him was slumped silently at the base of a tree, after a gust of magical storm winds had sent her flying fifty yards to crash into it.

“No,” Skywalker’s eyes narrowed over him, the needle plunging painfully into Ishida’s arm. “But I am going to get to know you, I hope.”

“You’re a fool,” Ishida mumbled. He slipped his hand into his pocket when the older man bent to perform a fireman’s carry, then relaxed his limbs as if he had lost consciousness.

“I’m sorry, Mara,” Luke murmured, stopping to check the pulse of his companion. “I can’t carry you both.”

Just before he did, finally, submit to his wounds and whatever cocktail Skywalker had injected him with, Ishida managed to let his hand fall from his pocket. Just a few inches from where the injured woman lay abandoned and vulnerable


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anything else, Finn?” He sat on the edge of the couch, holding Rey firmly as she climbed unabashedly into his lap. She pressed her face into his neck, and he stroked her head soothingly.
> 
> “Skywalker was there. Nat recognized the scent, and your mother came and confirmed it,” the werecat grabbed a kitchen chair and flipped it around, seating himself so he could fold his arms over the back of it. “Leia and Holdo are following the trail now.”
> 
> “My mother went after him? She’s chasing Luke?” He couldn’t believe it, after all this time. Had she finally gotten it through her head that he was unsalvageable, that her brother had always been more than a bit over the edge, and he wasn’t going to come back? If it took the murder of his friend - his packmate - to finally convince her, Kylo was going to be furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note here, updates are gonna be slow for awhile, my health has not been good and I can't sit to write very long without being in a lot of pain. Hopefully it'll get better if this freezing weather ever warms up. I should be getting my legal medicinal use card soon, so that should go a long way towards pain control (and creative motivation) as well ;)

Kylo awoke to a heavy hand pounding on his bedroom door, and about a hundred text messages on his phone.

“Hmmm…” Rey stirred sleepily beside him, then sat up suddenly in alert. “Finn? What’s -”

“Come in!” Kylo yelled. He didn’t care if Finn caught them in bed, they were both clothed enough and he’d interrupted nothing but an exhausted sleep. Half of his texts had been from Renata, and that alone was enough to rattle him wide awake.

The other alpha charged in, hesitating in the doorway when he saw they were both in bed, but then shouldering onward. “Ishida’s missing. We’ve been trying to get ahold of you idiots for two hours, and you’re telling me you were just at home  _ sleeping _ ?”

“Well, why the fuck didn’t someone think to check here?” Kylo growled, climbing out of bed and throwing on the nearest shirt over his flannel pajama bottoms. Rey slipped out on her own side, kneeling so Finn couldn’t see her as she covered herself in one of Kylo’s discarded flannels.

“Because they’re idiots, apparently,” Finn grumped. “I’ll be in the living room.”

Kylo followed him out, allowing Rey a few moments to dress herself, while he chugged an energy drink from the refrigerator and listened to Finn’s report.

“He went to do a security walk last night, and that’s the last anyone’s seen him. Renata followed his scent and… It doesn’t look good, man. She’s been pacing in totem form all morning,  I’ve never seen that woman so furious,” the other man scrubbed a hand over his close-cropped hair, exhaling defeatedly. “We’ve got a hostage, some girl who was working with Luke. It took me and Jace to pull her off of the bitch so we could question her. Not that I don’t sympathize, but you’ve got to talk her down, Kylo. She can’t interrogate anyone like that, or go tearing off on her own when we’re already down a packmate.”

“I’ll talk to her, but you and I both know there's no controlling that woman. She follows me because she wants too.” He exhaled slowly. 

“We all follow you because we want to. But you're still the pack alpha,” Finn was giving him a stern look, and Kylo met those cool malachite eyes clearly, though it pained him to do it.

Finn glanced towards Rey as she came out of the bedroom, breaking contact, but the point was made. He would have to persuade Renata in any way he could, and if that failed… He didn't want to resort to physicality, but God help him, he couldn't focus on Ishida if she disappeared too, even to go hunting for his abductors. This wasn't the first time they'd had to have words about mates and responsibilities, and Kylo was well aware he was on shaky ground if it came to a full-on argument. But Renata, tough as she was, couldn't physically stand against him. 

“Anything else, Finn?” He sat on the edge of the couch, holding Rey firmly as she climbed unabashedly into his lap. She pressed her face into his neck, and he stroked her head soothingly. 

“Skywalker was there. Nat recognized the scent, and your mother came and confirmed it,” the werecat grabbed a kitchen chair and flipped it around, seating himself so he could fold his arms over the back of it. “Leia and Holdo are following the trail now.”

“My mother went after him? She’s chasing Luke?” He couldn’t believe it, after all this time. Had she finally gotten it through her head that he was unsalvageable, that her brother had always been more than a bit over the edge, and he wasn’t going to come back? If it took the murder of his friend - his packmate - to finally convince her, Kylo was going to be furious.

Of course, he was already furious, but they didn’t know if Ishida was actually dead. Finn arched an eyebrow, shrugging slightly. “She's your mother. I don't know how she works.”

“Fuck,” he growled, lowering his head to breathe in the scent of Rey on his lap, nuzzling at her neck to get as much as he could.

“You should phone her,” Rey murmured in his ear in a voice so soft and airy he almost didn't recognize it. Finn had been watching her carefully all morning, and the shock at hearing her was written plainly on his face when Kylo glanced over.

“Are you alright, Rey?” Kylo's gaze on him was hard, but Finn was smart enough not to lean in, or attempt to invade her space in any way.

Kylo looked down in surprise as her hands wound tightly in his shirt, but she refused to even meet his gaze until he cupped her chin, firmly tilting her head up towards him. Bright bands of yellow-gold shone around her liquid hazel irises, and Kylo swallowed his worry quickly, locking it away behind a stern expression. 

“I'm going to leave you with Finn for a while, alright? He's your best friend, I know you trust him,” he waited for understanding to register, and kissed her forehead when she nodded.

“Yes, alpha.”

“Kylo.”

“Yes, Kylo.” He lifted her from his lap, intending to sit her beside him on the couch, but Rey sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged with her back against the coffee table and her head bent.

“Jesus,” Finn met Kylo's gaze as he stood up, then stared back at Rey with fearful concern. “Has she been like this since last night?”

“She comes in and out,” Kylo sighed. He was exhausted well and truly, after getting Rey home and settled and finally asleep, he had to call Dr. Kanata and Dr. Holdo, then convince Holdo to call in some prescriptions and promise to come review her in the morning. Finally dozing off just as the predawn light was spilling over the windows, Kylo had a total of probably six hours of sleep over the past two days. 

But he was an alpha, he had a far sturdier constitution than a normal person, and the adrenaline of defending his mate and his pack would see him through. He nodded at the bottle of pills sitting out on the countertop and spoke to Finn.

“She gets another of those at noon, and then Holdo was supposed to come over…” He frowned. If she was out chasing after Luke with his mother… Finn seemed to be following his thoughts, because he cursed and reached for his pocket to find his phone and look at the time.

“Still got a couple hours. I don't think this is something she'd forget about,” the younger alpha assured him. “Holdo's a good doctor. She was great to Renata, even with their… history.”

“I know.” Kylo chewed the inside of his cheek, hesitating, then shut his eyes and turned away. “I'm trusting you with this. I know you love her.”

“Rey is as safe with me as Rose is,” Finn promised. “I'll call you the second anything happens.”

Kylo nodded, lifting his phone and dialing Nat, taking a few steps towards the door so his conversation wouldn't upset Rey.

_ “ _ Ky? Did you get my messages -”

“Yeah, Finn’s here, he explained.” 

The younger alpha steeled himself. She was going to hate him. Probably for a while, but he knew Renata. She was good soldier as long as someone else was responsible for the overall situation, but if she felt a shred of guilt, she was useless. Her code of honor was married to her sense of responsibility, and there was no persuading her otherwise. Ishida - her  _ mate _ \- had disappeared under her watch. He’d have to assign someone to fucking to sit on her if he wanted to keep her from running off after Skywalker.

“Listen to me, Renata. Nat -”

“Don’t you fucking tell me what to do, Solo. You know if it were Rey -”

“Yeah, and if you were me, and I was losing my goddamn mind over my fucked up uncle kidnapping Rey and wanted to go run after him myself with no plan, no backup, no clue of what I’d run up against, what would you do?”

She actually snarled into the phone, and Kylo was surprised it was still functional enough to hold the call. He’d have probably crushed it to pieces.

_ “ _ You’re not going anywhere. That’s an order. Swear to me, Nat. Swear to me you will do exactly as I say, and nothing else.”

“Fuck you, Solo. Where the hell have you been while the rest of us were searching?”

“I was up all night and I slept through my phone going crazy, alright? It's not relevant, but Rey's been having some anxiety issues and things got to bad point last night, I had to bring her somewhere safe _.”  _ Kylo swallowed as he tried desperately to shrug off her questions about Rey. The last thing Renata needed was someone else to worry about. “She's safe with Finn, don't worry about her. I'm coming down there right now.  _ Do not leave _ unless I give you permission. Promise me.”

“God dammit -”

“Renata -”

“Fine. I promise, I'll be a good girl for you, is that what you wanna hear, Kylo?” There was a hiss and a crackle, and to Kylo's actual relief, the call dropped. He left as quickly as possible, trusting her word, but not her temperament, fully aware that the longer he took, the more time his lieutenant would have to let her rage simmer and strengthen.   
  


 

Hera studied the flame-haired young woman from a distance, her arms crossed and a pair of prescription sunglasses hiding her eyes. She was a stubborn thing, all glares and bared teeth as Ahsoka tried to question her, although the ex-Hunter had gotten more information than the girl probably assumed. She frowned, biting the inside of her lip as the werefox strolled over, her normally cool exterior slipping as she tossed her graying braids over her shoulders.

“She knows where Skywalker is,” Ahsoka began without preamble.

“I guessed as much.” Hera pushed her glasses up to perch over the untamed frizz of her hair, still a healthy dark brown, but closely trimmed to hide the thinning of age. Her deep amber eyes met the shapeshifters worriedly. “What are we going to do about it?”

Ahsoka sighed, scowling at the woman, whose arms were bound by the wrists behind her back, sitting on the ground between Jacen and Ishida’s sister. The dragon-woman didn’t speak much, but Hera could tell she was dangerous by the way her son and friend moved around her, giving her ample space and refraining from direct eye contact.

“Right now, we’re waiting on Kylo.” Her sharp eyes, blue as the California sky above them, alighted on the spotted lynx pacing back and forth close by. “Hopefully, he can talk some sense into Renata, and we can question Luke’s accomplice more productively.”

“You mean you’re going to torture her,” Hera said distastefully.

“Hera!” Those bright eyes pinned her with an injured stare. “How long have you known me? I don’t  _ torture _ people.”

“As I’ve said before,” the younger woman answered with a shake of her head, “we have a differing understanding of the word.”

“You have two werewolves for children. Surely you realize the standards aren’t exactly the same,” Ahsoka pointed out.

“You sound like Anakin.”

Ahsoka made a sound of disgust, moving away at the sight of Kylo heading their direction from the back of the building, and Hera let her sunglasses fall back over her eyes. Her phone vibrated quietly in her jacket pocket, and she turned away from the scene to scan the message she’d received quickly, before typing out one of her own.

When she looked up, the tall werewolf was already looming over their prisoner, mouthing off some choice curse words and making several attempts at an alpha command.

“Won’t work, kid,” the woman grinned through teeth bloodied from when Renata split her lip. “That’s the beauty of Luke’s cure. Got all the advanced endurance and healing, but none of those  _ perverse _ flaws.”

Jacen grimaced, looking Hera’s direction as Kylo growled and stepped towards her, his long legs eating up the pavement in a few steps. Behind him, the red-haired prisoner continued to grin at her son, spouting more of her anti-shifter rhetoric as the young man watched her stoically, his body loose in a false pose of indifference. In reality, Hera knew Jacen’s every muscle was prepared to strike, and the faint crease in his brow above those burnished golden eyes meant he was memorizing every word. She had never had the pleasure of seeing her son actually in his element, and pride soared through her chest, even under the weight of Kylo Ren’s scowl.

“Where’s my mother?” The dark-haired man must be near thirty now, Hera knew, but she couldn’t help but think of him as Leia’s boy, solemn and quiet and brilliant, with that impossible mane of sleek ebony waves.

She smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she regarded him.

“Chasing Luke,” she said curtly. “They were headed north last I heard.”

“Yeah, that’s fucking helpful, thanks,” he mumbled darkly, turning away from her to watch the pacing lynx with a worried expression. “Give me something to work with, Hera. I’ve got three Hunters itching to interrogate this bitch, and no reason to stop them.”

“You’re an alpha,” she reminded him. “Go work your leadership skills. Renata needs something to do, Ahsoka needs to be set free to follow her own leads, and my son will do whatever you ask of him, because he worships the ground you walk upon.”

Dark eyes, so shockingly familiar no matter how many times she saw him, bored into hers thoughtfully.  _ Come on, I know Leia's in there somewhere. _

“Fuck, I hate being diplomatic,” Kylo grumbled, turning from her and calling to Renata. “Secure the perimeter, Argent, make sure there aren’t any more of Skywalker’s agents. No one comes in or goes out without a thorough screening.”

The cat stared up at him as if she were teetering on the edge of resisting, but suddenly took off in a lope around the side of the building. Kylo watched her until she was out of sight, concern and regret clearly visible in the way his shoulders tensed, and then he turned back to Ahsoka, who stood with her arms crossed, watching the scene as if she were waiting to critique it.

“I know you’ve got contacts everywhere,” he said in a careful, restrained tone. “I can’t tell you what to do, but… Any help you can give us would be appreciated. He has to be making that stuff somewhere, and it’s not my mother’s basement.”

“And he’ll have suppliers, material drops, possibly online purchase records,” Jacen put in, giving the old vixen his best pleading look. “Please, Auntie ‘Soka -”

Hera grinned as Ahsoka noted her son’s stare and shook her head, her lips twitching to suppress a smile.

“You really didn’t need to play the ‘Auntie Soka’ card, but I’m happy to help.” She rolled her eyes and glanced over to Hera with an arched brow. “You want to help? I’m sure they don’t need you to babysit their prize.”

“Alright,” Hera nodded, following in her friend’s footsteps towards the inside of the building. “If you need anything,” she caught her son’s eye, “we won’t be far. Don’t forget to check in with Jaina, she’ll never forgive either of us if we leave her out.”

“Yes, Mother,” Jacen grit his teeth, leveling a dark glare at Kylo’s watchful smirk.

Hera sighed, leaving the young people to do their thing while she found a comfortable chair and a computer screen where she could actually be of use.

  
  


“Lies!” Yue Kaneshige spat. Kylo eyed the diminutive dragon-woman warily, watching as she sunk clawed fingers into the prisoner - Mara’s - flaming locks and wrenched her head back. He had a few experiences with Ishida’s cold, enigmatic sister, but he had never seen her give in to such a display of emotion. “You will speak truth to these  _ yokai _ , if you care at all for your sanity. My patience grows thin.”

Mara shrugged, her blue eyes remaining on Kylo and Jacen, who stood on either side of her in similar poses, arms crossed and expressions grim. 

“I have nothing to say,” she insisted. “Kill me, if you dare. Otherwise you may as well release me. Perhaps I’ll lead you back to Luke.”

Yue turned to Kylo, her dark eyes burning with a dull red flare around the irises, like banked coals. “Enough of this! You will leave her with me, I have my own methods for obtaining information.”

Jacen’s amber eyes skipped towards Kylo’s a quick acknowledgment that he understood precisely what would happen if they gave over custody of the girl to Yue and her kind, and had no objections. Of course, he was an ex-Hunter.

Kylo had chosen Jacen to join the interrogation knowing he was the only one of the pack besides Renata with both the skill and the stomach for what might be a gruesome task, but so far, even their methods had elicited nothing. He bit the inside of his cheek, well aware that time was not on their side, and they were working on an estimate anyway, having no proof of when, exactly, Ishida had been taken.

“She has no use to you if she will not talk,” Yue stated coldly, coming to stand before Kylo. He sighed, uncrossing his arms and giving Jacen another meaningful look. “It is my blood in danger. I claim her by the old ways, alpha to alpha.”

Something tingled between them, some kind of dark, ancient magic that Kylo could feel in his bones, reading him, assessing him physically and spiritually, taking stock of his power. He felt he could have fought it if he wished to, possibly on Renata’s behalf as Ishida was her mate, but did he need to?

“She injured my packmate. The mate of my lieutenant,” he said, quietly testing it.

“Renata gave up her rights when she allowed your other packmate to question him in her place. Now all that is left to her is blood, and should injury befall my brother, I assure you…” Yue’s smile was cold and alien and feral. “I will ensure she has the opportunity to take what blood is owed from our mutual enemies.”

Kylo took a deep breath. “Jacen? Get Renata in here. It’s her call,” he informed Yue firmly.

She nodded once, her eyes returning to Skywalker’s accomplice, who was given them both a smug look that he thought was a partial show of bravado. That, or she’d never encountered dragons before, and assumed Yue was the same sort of being as the shapeshifters she was used to. He wasn’t sure which one he was hoping for.

It didn’t take long for Jacen to return with his lieutenant, wrapped in the enchanted cloak of the Syndulla’s that changed with its wearer. Despite wearing nothing beneath the oversized, baggy wool, Renata’s every movement was a display of controlled malice, and he knew her decision as soon as her eyes met Yue’s.

“Do what you must,” she said, with only the briefest glance of inquiry to Kylo. He bit his lip, and said nothing.

Ishida’s sister and mate shared a momentary look, and the sheer cruelty, let alone the danger glinting in those feral eyes made even Syndulla look away. Then Yue nodded and one of her people in their embroidered leather jackets came in, roughly taking control of the prisoner and guiding her out.

They watched in silence, Yue stopping beside Renata just before stepping through the door to lay a clawed hand on the werelynx’s tense shoulder.

“Blood of my blood,” she murmured cryptically. Eyebrows raised slightly, Nat met her intense stare unflinchingly, giving the dragon a slight nod.

“Blood of my blood,” she repeated, with only a hint of surprise.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Renata exhaled, her hands moving over Jacen’s cloak in an instinctive hunt for cigarettes before she realized where she was. “Fuck, I need a drink and a smoke.”

“What was that…” Jacen motioned between Nat and the door, and she shrugged.

“I bit Ishida the night we all had our… falling out. In dragon-terms, that makes us family.” She paused, noting the searching stare he kept on her, continuing only begrudgingly. “It binds us mystically. Ishida may not be a dragon, but he carries their blood, and when I bit him, I swallowed some of it. Thus -”

“You bit Ishida? Why the hell would you do that?”

Renata scowled up at Jacen, her green eyes flashing with anger, but Kylo cut in before they could have at each other. He didn’t need his right and left hand tearing each other apart in the back office of the convention center.

“Because he’s her  _ mate _ , and he wanted it. Come on, Jace,” he grabbed the other man’s arm, dragging him out of the room beside him and leaving Renata to catch up. “I know you’ve heard this discussion before. The cats' polyamory is none of our goddamn business.”

“Yeah, but, Ishida’s a wolf, and a beta, and Nat’s not… They’re not together like that, are you?”

“I’m not going to say it again, Jacen, shut the fuck up about it. It’s really none of our business! Jesus,” he shook his head, more than a little irritated at his fellow werewolf. “There will be a better time to bring this up, I’m sure, if you must know, but -”

“Oh, no, Kylo. By all means. Let him keep digging,” Renata snapped coldly from behind them. In a rare show of rage, she stripped off the cover of his cloak and threw it at him, confronting them both with her naked form in the broad light of the very  _ public _ hallway. “Here, have a fucking shovel!”

“Hey, hey, I didn’t mean -”

“Renata for Christ’s sake -”

“Fuck off, both of you. I’m going home. To comfort my  _ other _ mate, because I’m a greedy filthy whore, okay? Thanks for  _ all _ your well-intentioned help!” She leapt into a shift, landing perfectly on all fours, and tore off out into the convention floor before either man had a chance to respond.

“God dammit, Jacen!” Kylo released his arm to fix the man with the full force of his alpha glare. Jacen backed up against the wall, but didn’t back down, although he kept his eyes lowered. “You really had to start that  _ now _ ?”

“Seriously? You’re okay with her just… claiming  _ two _ mates?”

“Yeah, since both of them returned to her of their own free will and begged to be taken back, I’m perfectly fucking okay with whatever they want to do!” He shook his head, wondering if he was going to have to deal with Jacen being a prudish idiot all over again whenever he found out what the cats were planning in the way of children. “They’re all adults, Jacen!”

“You fucking smug alphas! No one should claim a mate they don’t intend to fuck, or one they can’t keep  _ safe _ -”

Jacen realized his mistake a second before Kylo processed it, and then he did back down, sinking low against the wall as his pack leader loomed over him, a snarl of rage curling his lips.

“Kneel,” he snapped, his whole body aflame with outrage at the insult, the stress of the kidnapping, the lingerie walk and Rey’s anxiety the night before all tumbling around in his mind like firecrackers.

With a pained whimper, the dark-skinned man before him melted into a sturdy, golden-brown wolf with its tail hung low. Kylo felt his own body respond, his clothes tearing as he changed, and then his jaw was full of soft fur, the sound of pained whines reverberating through his skull.

“What the fu -  _ Jacen _ ?”

The brown wolf yelped shrilly, and Kylo released him, surprised to see him flee down the hall, his tail and shoulder still lowered as he slunk away as fast as he could. Tossing his head, the great black wolf turned, and now he understood why his packmate had fled from what was a common enough spat, if unusually dramatic.

Poe Dameron stood looking down at Kylo, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in shock and surprise.  _ Fuck _ , was all he could think, seeing the traces of bewilderment and disgust in the human’s expression.  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck. _


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where are we?” Rey asked, glancing around at the sparse green vegetation around the outer edges of the flint and limestone rock formation.
> 
> “Oklahoma,” Innara explained with a frown. “The middle of nowhere, really.”
> 
> “Oh.” It was too dark to see as well as she'd have liked, though the moon hanging overhead was nearly full, and Renata closed her eyes and concentrated on shifting a very small part of her body. When she opened them, they glinted a reflective green in the evening shadows.
> 
> Rey's expression was mildly curious, but distracted and vacant of the sharp appraisal Renata was accustomed to seeing from her when confronting something new.
> 
> “Rey,” Kylo said gently from inside the passageway. “Listen to me. I need you to go with Renata, okay? She'll take care of you.”

"These babies are killing me,” Finn complained, glancing over to where Rey sat at the kitchen table, bottle feeding a tiny, tailless ball of fluff. "Nothing should be cute and sharp. It's not fair."

Sharp claws pierced his fingers, and he yelped, jerking his hand from the open carrier where he had been gently stroking one of its siblings. Rose grinned from beside Rey, grabbing his hand and shamelessly popping his bleeding finger into her mouth. Grinning up at him, she sucked until it hurt, laving his skin with a roughened tongue, and Finn jerked his hand away.

“Ow!”

“Oh, please,” Rose rolled her eyes. “You act like I've never been in bed with you -”

“We're not  _ in _ bed, in case you haven't noticed!” Finn shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. “Anyway, I have to stay focused.”

“I can take care of the kits, if you guys want to mate,” Rey said with a little shrug, her downcast eyes not registering the looks of shock and surprise from her friends. It seemed some part of her did process her words eventually, enough that a red flush bloomed on her fair cheeks and she laid the bottle aside, cuddling the little one close. “I cannot believe I just said that, I'm sorry. I've been… weird, I know.”

“No worries,” Rose assured in a bright voice. “Holdo said it would take a few days for you to get back to being yourself.”

She gave Rey a fond, calming smile, but turned a worried gaze on Finn as soon as the werewolf looked away. Finn shook his head - he was worried, too, Rey was his best friend, but discussing her condition in front of her would only cause her more stress. 

“I wish I could purr like you do,” Rey said after a moment of quietly cuddling the kitten in her arms. “It seems so soothing to them.”

“I think they like you just fine,” Rose insisted, reaching for the sated baby and placing him back in the carrier. They watched as the kittens lurched around on unsteady legs before falling into a little pile of cuteness, fast asleep.

“That should seriously be illegal,” Finn couldn’t help the grin on his face at how adorable the lynx kittens were. “It’s too much. How are we supposed to just let them sleep?”

“By putting their needs before ours,” Rose chastised. “There’s plenty of time to play with them when they’re more active. Right now they need to rest. Besides, Ahsoka will be here any minute.”

Finn frowned, still uncertain what the enigmatic old vixen had to do with helping Rey’s panic attacks and subspace, but Jacen and Holdo had both insisted she was the best around at the kind of cognitive therapy Rey needed. He hadn’t exactly gotten the best explanation from Kylo, but then again, the man’s background was in chemical engineering and cybersecurity, not psychotherapy, and he was just as worried about Rey as the rest of them - no, he was definitely  _ more _ worried, Finn corrected himself. 

Rey and Rose settled in on the couch, his small but determined little mate not hesitating for a moment to take charge of Rey, taking her into her arms and letting her lay her head on her shoulder as she covered them both in a weighted blanket Finn had gifted her for their anniversary.

“There. That’s nice, isn’t it?” Rose was soothing, rubbing the other woman’s shoulder in a circular pattern. 

“I’m definitely in love with this blanket,” Rey agreed softly. “When is Kylo coming back?”

Rose shot Finn a glance over Rey’s head and he shrugged uncomfortably. He had no idea when Kylo would have the time to get away, everything was so fucked right now with the convention and Ishida’s disappearance and the fucking Skywalker drama, it could be hours. But there was no reason to tell Rey that, even if he did feel a little guilty at not being entirely honest. Sometimes it was more compassionate to lie, he realized, especially when someone was in a fragile state.

“Soon,” he promised. “He won’t be away from you any longer than he has to be. It’s -”

A firm knock on the door interrupted him, and he glanced at the clock on the cable box below the TV. Of course, Ahsoka Tano would be early. With a pointed look towards Rose, he went to the door, seeing the familiar reddish-gray braids and slim figure through the frosted glass window.

“Thanks for coming so quickly -” Finn began as he pulled the door wide, his jaw dropping abruptly when he realized she wasn’t alone.

“You’re welcome,” the old vixen said with a sparkle of amusement in her eyes. “You’ve met Sarah Argent, I think?”

“Uh. Yeah, but,” Finn glanced behind him to the two women curled up on the couch, then leveled a hard stare at Renata’s grandmother. “Now is really not a great time to start pushing people about children -”

“Of course not,” the old woman replied with a sharp roll of her eyes.

“Mrs. Argent is a wild-born,” Ahsoka explained, tilting her head slightly to indicate her impatience at his hesitance to let them enter. “I asked for her assistance.”

“She’s also an  _ alpha _ ,” Finn growled. “And that brunch did not leave any of us with a good impression.”

“Finn,” Ahsoka placed a hand lightly on his wrist. “I know how she is. But we’re a little short on wild-born shifters this day and age, and Holdo said it was urgent. At least let us try. If she offends Rey in any way -”

“ _ She _ is not an imbecile,” Sarah Argent said sharply. “I know better than to upset a cowering omega, for Heaven’s sake. But if my presence appears bothersome to her, I shall certainly take myself away.”

Finn sighed. “Alright.”

“Peace?” Ahsoka looked between the two of them, and Finn and then Mrs. Argent nodded. “Great. Now let’s see what we can do for Rey.”

  
  


Poe had taken himself for a walk around the convention center, a good, long walk, punctuated by occasional sips from the bottle of beer he’d picked up inside. He wasn’t drunk - far from it - but he’d needed a little something to calm his nerves after seeing that scene between the two werewolves in the hall. As much as he’d thrown himself into this… this  _ thing _ … with Jacen insisting he had fully accepted the realities of dating a shapeshifter, he hadn’t expected to contend with seeing his boyfriend dressed down the leader of his pack.

It had shocked him, somehow, as if he’d expected Jacen to fight back, to bite and snarl at Kylo because he was stronger and better… Except, he  _ wasn’t _ . 

That was it, he realized. He had always seen Jacen as a bit wild, a bit of danger in those amber irises that flared a bright yellow when he felt threatened or protective, a quiet power in those smoothly-muscled arms that implied he could overwhelm Poe at any given moment, pin him to the bed and do as he liked. And he had come to love that, to look forward to the little growls and snarls that escaped when his lover was losing control, the sense of power just barely held in check as Poe writhed beneath him, begging him to move faster, harder…

He shuddered, swallowing the last of his beer, and looked around to find a trash can. It was bright, but coldish, and Poe pulled up thee collar of his coat as he walked around the western side of the building, where the breeze was chilled from the sea. It was absolutely stupid, and he felt like a prick, being disgusted that his werewolf boyfriend wasn’t the absolute top of his pack. As if someone like Poe even had a chance against Kylo Ren. 

Although, Kylo himself… All that controlled power, that massive shaggy wolf form that rivaled the size of a bear… He could certainly see what Rey found so enchanting.

_ Shut up, brain, you fucking piece of shit. _ He finally found a trash bin and got rid of his bottle, turning to head back in when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, the familiar sounds of Chopin that he’d assigned as Leia’s ringtone.

“Boss. What’s going on?”

“I’m old and tired, Dameron,” Leia chuckled. “We’ve checked the beach house and upstate, and there’s no sign of Luke. The trail goes cold once we hit the highway, my twin has apparently gotten clever in our old age. Holdo’s going back to her lab to analyse the samples she took from our little hostage, but I want you to get some backup and poke around Han’s old lake house. Can you do that?”

“Consider it done, Leia. What are my orders if I find anything?” He was quite happy to given a task at this point, especially a dangerous, tricky assignment that would involve the rest of his day. He could confront Jacen later, when whatever weirdness was going through his head was hopefully out of his system.

“Just observe and report, Dameron. You know the drill. Do not -”

“Do not engage. I got it.”

He hadn't been certain what he was going to do by way of backup, but in true Poe Dameron style, he'd decided to hop in his car and make a few calls on the way. Luckily he didn't have to, as he recognized the energetic, sharp eyes that studied him as he rolled down his window for the security check on his way out.

“Where are you headed, Poe? I saw Jace run off earlier, did he start getting morbid or something?” Jaina smiled beneath the reflective lenses of the sunglasses she had perched on top of the tightly-coiled piles of braids on her head, seemingly unconcerned at the level of danger surrounding the convention center.

“No, I mean… We had a moment, but I think he was arguing with Kylo, mostly -” he was babbling, and he knew it, so he was partially grateful when she cut him off.

“It's better to leave him to lick his wounds, then. If I know my brother, he’ll be sneaking back in around sundown, hoping no one asks where the hell he's been all day.” She folded her arms over the window, half-leaning into his car.

“Yeah, I'm not going after him, I just got my marching orders from Leia. They've searched her house and the beach, she wants me to go up and check Napa.”

“I see.” She smiled displaying bright white teeth, and Poe had a feeling he was about to regret telling her where he was headed. “You're going after Skywalker alone? Do you even have a silver weapon, Poe?”

“I, uhh… I thought I'd see what Finn was doing.”

“Finn and Rose are taking care of something else right now. But,” she flashed him another predatory look, eyes falling on the empty passenger seat. “You're lucky, I'm absolutely free and would be happy to back you up with some actual muscle -”

“Jaina, Skywalker is dangerous, this isn't a pleasure cruise -”

She rolled her eyes, still laughing at his ridiculous attempts to protect her from danger as she threw herself into the car and fastened her seatbelt. “All the more reason for me to tag along.” 

Reaching down the length of her leg, clad in shorts he didn't think should even be legal, into large, clunky combat boots with purple laces, Jacen's sister produced a short, slender length of shining metal. The majority of the blade was a dark, matte gray steel, the swirling symbols of silver and gold etched into were what caught and held the sunlight almost blindingly. 

“What the hell is that?”

“Ahsoka's klaive. She gave it to me this morning, said she knew I'd go rushing headfirst into the fray, and she'd feel better if she knew I was armed.” Jaina was clearly thrilled by this tacit approval of her delinquency, while Poe understood that the old kitsune was just being pragmatic. 

“She's a wise lady. Hopefully we don't have to use it.”

“You're no fun at all.”

  
  
  


Kylo was exhausted when he finally made his way home, though the actual ball part of the Omega’s Ball was a just a few hours from beginning and people would notice if he didn’t attend, he couldn’t find it in his heart to care. 

He met Renata in the parking lot, looking just as exhausted as he felt, and grunted in shock when she slammed the door of her battered truck closed and advanced to throw her slight weight into him in a fierce hug.

“Tell me you found something.” Her voice was low, hoarse with emotion, and the strength of her grip on his shoulder and around his waist was actually painful. 

Kylo sighed, pressing his nose into the limp mess of blonde hair on top of her head and rubbing her arm soothingly. “I’m sorry, Nat.”

“I don’t want your  _ fucking _ apology, Solo. I want my  _ mate _ .” Her slight body shook against him, and Kylo stiffened in shock as the reality of the situation crashed down on him. He remembered quite clearly what he’d felt like when Rey was kidnapped, how close he’d been to ripping Jacen apart and how Renata had held him at bay while they forced open the moonpath.

“ _ Fuck! _ ” She snarled, jerking away from him as abruptly as she’d latched on, and dug a battered pack of cigarettes from her pocket. He opened his mouth to chastise her, then thought better of it and settled for a raised eyebrow, which the other alpha simply shrugged off. “Fuck off. I’m an adult, I know what I’m doing to myself.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

She scoffed, walking up towards the little porch of their little building to light the stick in her mouth. “My grandmother’s up there for some reason. Get rid of her for me, will you?”

“What the fuck is Sarah doing in my house?” He couldn’t hide the growl in his voice, and Renata shot him a sympathetic look.

“Wild-born shit, apparently. Ahsoka and Holdo thought she could help, I don’t know,” she inhaled, exhaling smoke carefully downwind from him.

“Well, can she?” At this point, he'd welcome his own mother to move in with them, if it meant Ishida was returned safely or an end to Rey's panicked state. Selfishly, he wqnted to put Rey's welfare ahead, and he reminded himself forcibly that Rey was alive and in his possession, and Ishida could be fucking dead for all they knew.

Judging by the look in his lieutenant's eyes, he wasn't exactly hiding the emotional struggle going on in his mind. Kylo scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling a surprising growth of stubble. He couldn't remember when he'd last showered.

"Sorry. What... Did they say anything about how she's going to help?" He tried again.

“Why don't you go ask her yourself, you massive fucking coward?" The glare she shot him could have leveled a building, and Kylo scowled back, holding her gaze until he was forced to look away. He bit the inside of cheek, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. "You can't even face me."

“And you don't trust me. Dammit, Nat!" He clenched his hands into fists, unsure of what hurt more, the mistrust of his best friend or the guilt that he actually deserved it. She just puffed on her cigarette, leaning against the wall and pointedly not looking his way again.

"I’m going in, okay? Let’s just leave it at that. My mother and Holdo checked both of her places. Poe and Jaina are going up to the lake house,” he added. “I told them to call you if they find any leads. Have you heard from Ishida's sister?”

“No. But I don’t know if she’d tell me or not. Dragons aren’t great at human communication.”

“Neither are we, apparently.”

  
  
  


“Jesus, I hate this place,” Renata growled the second she stepped foot into shallow cave where Kylo's bridge had taken them from northern California to eastern Oklahoma. 

She reached back into the opening in the back wall of gray stone, helping first Innara, then Rey through it with a hand.

“Where are we?” Rey asked, glancing around at the sparse green vegetation around the outer edges of the flint and limestone rock formation. 

“Oklahoma,” Innara explained with a frown. “The middle of nowhere, really.”

“Oh.” It was too dark to see as well as she'd have liked, though the moon hanging overhead was nearly full, and Renata closed her eyes and concentrated on shifting a very small part of her body. When she opened them, they glinted a reflective green in the evening shadows. 

Rey's expression was mildly curious, but distracted and vacant of the sharp appraisal Renata was accustomed to seeing from her when confronting something new. 

“Rey,” Kylo said gently from inside the passageway. “Listen to me. I need you to go with Renata, okay? She'll take care of you.”

“What?” 

Her voice trembled audibly, and Renata sensed Innara stepping closer, taking her hand and pulling her further away to give them some privacy. She could hear Kylo's words if she really wanted to try, but just the timbre of his voice was heartbreaking enough.

“Are we on tribal land?” Innara asked in a whisper.

“Yeah. Osage. This place is owned by Sarah. My aunt and uncle live here and keep up the sacred places. They're... a weird sort of Christian,” she grimaced slightly, and Innara scowled.

“I see.” She started to let go, but Renata tightened her grip, purposely folding their fingers together. 

“No. I am who I am. I won't hide it,” she said firmly. “I'm not ashamed of you.”

“I'm glad I finally get to see it, even if it is under painful circumstances,” she replied with a look of interest, gaze spanning out over the skeletal trees that spread out below the steep hill with the occasional smattering of blood red or brilliant gold. “Those leaves are wonderful.”

“It's prettier when they're all like that,” Renata said quietly.

“If you like it so much, and you're not ashamed of me, why have we never been here?”

“I like the trees, not the people.”

Footsteps crunched over the litter of gravel behind them, and they turned to see Rey approaching slowly, backpack slung over one shoulder. Renata had her magical bag, of course, but Rey had stubbornly wanted to carry her own things, and they had given into every small amount of independence and personality she displayed. Despite her anxiety-induced omega space, she was still in there somewhere, and it reassured Nat that they could snap her out of it.

“Where are we going?” She asked, eyes fixed just below Renata's chin.

“You'll see,” she said, sighing and taking the lead. “Innara, can you bring up the rear?”

She caught a smirk as her mate went to comply, her eyes flashing with bright yellow-gold. “Yes, Lieutenant Argent.”

“Don't start with that.”

“Why not? Given the way these people treat you, perhaps it's a good idea to remind them of your service,” Innara argued stubbornly.

“I'm not the only gay woman to ever serve in the military, Innara, and I certainly don't want to be anyone's political prop. I don't have the language skills. We're just here to use the Cave. Hopefully it won't take long.” She sighed, noting the glow of warm yellow light bobbing through the trees from up ahead as they walked down the leaf-hidden path. Apparently, her grandmother had been good as her word and they were already expected, though it shouldn't have come as a surprise to Renata. She couldn't remember a time when Sarah had gone back on her word, even when it pained her to keep it.

“I still cannot believe that's your plan,” Innara hissed under her breath as they reached the yard of the Argent's home, the little red dirt road circling around three double-wide mobile homes. Only two appeared occupied, the third, an older model with a newly-sealed wooden porch built around it, was shrouded in darkness, and it was this building that Renata led them to. "To put Rey through a ritual... whatever it is. It seems cruel."

“Your objections have been noted, Innara. But she's Kylo's omega, not mine, not Sarah's. He knows her best.” 

"He's been her mate for all of a couple months," the other woman whispered, laying a slender hand on the rough leather of Renata's coat sleeve.

"We've consulted other experts, remember? Ahsoka and Holdo? At least let Kylo and Ezra have a look at the Cave before you start poking your nose in." 

"Omega substates are different for everyone, just because this Cave has been used by shapeshifters in the past, it doesn't mean it's safe -"

"It's not safe, that's the point! Fuck, you're infuriating." She growled, retrieving the key from her pocket, and shoving it and her bag into her mate's hands. “Just get Rey settled, please? I'm going to talk to my aunt and uncle.”

“God knows why you bother,” the other woman said sharply, flipping a stray piece of sleek black hair from her face and taking a hold of Rey's arm gently. She followed the order without protest, but didn't bother hiding the scowl as she peered at the well-lit porch just to their right. 

“Come on, sweetheart, let's go in and get the heat turned on, shall we?” Innara's voice was kind as she spoke to Rey, despite her misgivings about the entire situation, and Renata bit her lip as she watched to make sure the key worked before turning to face her family.

“Never thought we'd see your face around here again."

The familiar voice shook her, and she turned her head sharply to the third trailer, where the dim indoor lights left half the porch in shadow.  Teeth biting more firmly into her lip, she turned slowly, forcing her expression into a blank, bored half-smile that didn't come close to reaching her eyes.

“What the fuck are doing living out here, Danny? Is that woman in there, too?” Despite the fact that she hadn't seen him in at least a decade, her brother didn't seem to have to aged much, though it was hard to make out the details of his face with her augmented eyes, meant for catching movement, not colors.

“That woman? You mean, our mother?” He chortled. “You don't even know.”

Mentally, she cursed Sarah Argent fluently, in several languages, with a lot more creativity than the standard  _ fuck the fucking fucker _ that usually went through her head. This was her grandmother’s property, she'd only been away for a couple days, and there was no way Danny had just moved in while she was away. Her grandmother had known she would run into him, and hadn't given her so much as a warning, which was really telling, wasn't it?

Gritting her teeth, she walked a few steps closer and forced herself to face him. He had filled out a bit in the shoulders, though his face was still the same, pale in the moonlight, with wide brown eyes and poorly-trimmed red hair in bushy clumps over his head and chin. He smirked down at her from his vantage on the porch, and Renata glared back.

“I assume you're gonna tell me whatever it is I don't know, even if I tell you I don't want to hear it,” she grumbled.

“She's in jail,” he said with a shrug. “I won't bore you with the story. We all know it's where she belongs anyway.”

“Why are you living out here? They're not even your family, Daniel. What happened to your dad?” There was no reason for her to want to know, and no reason for him to answer, but he did.

“Dad's gone. Drunk driving, his fault, the fucker. Aunt Rosemary came to the funeral, saw me brooding and offered me a job,” he explained quickly for both their benefit. “There's always things needing done around here, and they aren't as young as they used to be. Why are you back, Nat? You weren't supposed to ever come back. You got away.”

“There's no escaping Sarah, apparently,” she sighed. “I keep in touch with Gabe because of… reasons…”

“Gay reasons?”

Renata couldn't help but laugh, she had forgotten all about her little brother's dry humor. “You could say that, I guess. We're uh… trying to have kids. It's complicated. But we're here now because one of my packmates is sick, and Gran suggested that the… there's a place… here that might help her break through.”

“Shapeshifter stuff, then,” he nodded dismissively. “I won't bother you.”

“Danny,” she said quietly as he started to walk away. Something in her heart fluttered and sunk at the look in his familiar brown eyes as he turned again. “I'm glad you… I always hoped you'd get away from them. I'm sorry I… couldn't do more.”

“It's a little late for that, isn't it?” He sighed, reaching for the door to his home. “Good luck with your friend, Nat. And the… other stuff.”

“Thank you.”

She watched until her brother disappeared back inside, still shocked and trembling slightly in the evening air, until the lights inside his home went dark. Eyeing the lit porch she'd been headed towards, Renata closed her eyes and pushed and shoved at the emotions running wildly inside her head until she gathered control of herself.

If they were lucky, Kylo was already working out another moonpath to the UK, and they'd be joined soon enough by him and Rey’s wild-born brother. And Sarah, too, although she wondered now if the wily old woman would come up with some pressing business elsewhere, forcing Renata to remain in Oklahoma as their only point of contact with the Osage Indians who safeguarded the Cave. There was really no reason for all of them to be here, only Rey alone could face whatever was in store for her and overcome it, but Kylo would fret over every second if he wasn’t personally present, and Innara had refused to leave Nat’s side with Ishida already missing.

Sighing, she pulled her phone from her pocket and scowled at the lack of messages or voicemails. According to Sarah and Kylo, Leia had sent a team to investigate the Organa’s old lake house upstate, but it would take them a few hours just to get there.

In the meantime, all they could do was press on with the problems they could solve.  _ Move out, Argent. _

She raised her hand and knocked, taken by surprise when the door opened almost immediately and she was face-to-face with her father’s sister. Aunt Rosemary looked much the same as she always had, probably because she’d never had children and never had to find a way to make money outside of the family business.

“Renata. You look like you’re doing well, honey,” said with a false warmth, that vapid, not-quite-condescending smile on her face. She was still wearing the cheap golden cross Renata remembered, acrylic nails in an uninspired French manicure displayed as she held open the screen. 

“Rosemary. You look the same,” she nodded her head slightly, but stood back when her aunt tried to come in for a hug. “Where’s -”

“Tom’s sleeping. Did I hear you talking to Danny?” She eyed Renata expectantly as she bustled into the little kitchen, fiddling with a coffee maker in the act of brewing a fresh pot.

“Yeah.” The furniture was even the same, horrid hunter-green couches with light wood accents, against a wallpaper of pine trees and ten-point bucks that were faded slightly from the original dark green and burgundy. The old console TV had been replaced by a wall-mounted flat-screen, of course, the only thing in the house that seemed to have been granted a reprieve from the awful 90’s trailer park chic.

It was spotless, of course. Renata sat carefully on the edge of the sofa, nervously smoothing the lace doily covering the arm.

“Did he tell you about your mother?” 

“Yeah.” There was no point to answering that, Aunt Rosemary would tell her anyway within moments of sitting down. Renata’s mother was her favorite topic of gossip, like it was hard to be better than a thrice-divorced drug addict with seven kids from five different, equally fucked up fathers. 

“Still take your coffee black?”

“Yeah.”

Her pocket buzzed and she pulled her phone out with haste, but it was only Innara reminding her not to bite off any heads she couldn’t easily dispose of.

“Mother said you were bringing your…” Rosemary looked around uncomfortably, and Renata sighed, accepting the coffee she handed her and sniffing the soothing steam.

“My wife?”

“Oh. You married… I mean, it’s the same woman, right? The British Indian?” Dark brown eyes that must have come from their grandfather flicked upwards, meeting Renata’s cool gaze before abruptly darting elsewhere. Rosemary lifted a hand to tug at her cross and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah. Innara.”

“Oh. Well. That’s nice, I suppose. She didn’t come with you?” She almost looked disappointed.

“She did. I gave her the key to go get settled,” Renata said in a voice much milder than she’d expected to manage. “We’re just here to help our packmate. It’s not a social visit.”

“That’s not fair, Renata! None of us have even met her… We might disagree, but we care, sweetheart, we always have -”

“Right. That’s why you left me with that woman all my life. And the step-trolls.” She snorted, setting down the coffee mug and getting to her feet. “I’m not here to pick fights. You may care, but I don’t.”

“We’re your family! Of course you care!” She shook her head as her aunt followed her to the door, trying desperately to act politely despite her jabbing subspeak. “Really, Renata, if you’d just open your heart a little -”

“I did that once. You told me I was going to hell, remember?”

“I’m sorry for that, I really am! Please, sweetie, Sarah isn’t getting any younger, and if you’re going to have kids, they’ll be her heirs -” She stopped, seeming to have realized what she’d let slip, and Renata tilted her head, waiting to see how Rosemary would recover. Eventually she just shook her head, fingers pressed over her mouth and the cross hanging from her neck.

“Still think I’m going to hell?”

“I… The Bible says…”

“Yeah. Bye, then,” she yanked open the door, retreating into the cold night with a desperate need to achieve some distance, to get away from the pain and guilt of the past that was threatening to overwhelm her. 

The lights were out, but the heat was on when she made her way into the guest house, and she followed her nose to the bedroom on the east end of the house, finding Innara sitting quietly in bed with her laptop open in front of her. For a moment, she just stood in the doorway, watching under the pretense of being unobserved, though she knew Innara had heard her come in.

“Are you alright?” She asked finally, looking up to take in Renata with her deep emerald gaze.

“You know…” Thoughtfully, she walked about the room in a haze of familiar preparations, unlacing and toeing off her boots, removing her jeans and vest and surplus special camo jacket. “I think I am.”

She unfastened her bra and snuck it off without removing her shirt, though she could feel Innara’s hungry gaze narrow at the movement, then folded everything and lined it up on a nearby chair. Her enchanted backpack was in the corner nearby, and she claimed her toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Family taking it well, then?” Innara looked suspicious, and she couldn’t blame her. But she really did feel nothing - the emotions of the past that had risen up had slunk away without ever actually gaining a foothold, and now all she really felt was mental exhaustion and bone-deep need to assuage her darker, feral instincts.

“Yeah, they’re fantastic. We’re having a reunion in the church tomorrow where we’re all gonna dress in rainbows and have a sing-a-long.” Innara snickered, her soft melodious tones filling Renata with a surge of affection, and she grinned. “I love you.”

“You must. I've been an awful bint, haven't I?" She smiled ruefully. "Thank God, I really thought that separation was going to kill me, you have no idea how much I -”

“Shhh. Don’t give God the credit. I chased you down all by myself the first time. And then I let you go and you came back, so… That’s all us, baby.” She winked, and Innara clapped her computer closed, tossing it to the side table with a careless movement.

“Ishida helped. Now hurry up and get in bed, I’m exhausted.”

“Not too exhausted, I hope?”

“Just the right amount, I think.” Green eyes glinted at her in the darkened room. “If you hurry.”

  
  
  


Poe knew better. He really did.

But they'd been in the car for two hours, followed by practically crawling through scrubby brush and pine needles in the biting October cold, and he couldn't exactly discuss complex strategies with the wolf nosing eagerly ahead of him. Jaina had been adamant on the drive up, he was supposed to stay out of the way, because she could fight until she had to flee, but she couldn't do either while protecting his powerless, slow ass.

He knew she had a scent of some kind, the forward pricked ears and flagged gray-brown feathered tail made it obvious even to him, but she didn't seem too concerned, until suddenly she was.

And like an idiot, because that was Jacen's baby sister, and Luke Skywalker was  _ right there _ and he'd nearly killed a much older alpha with a long military career as a fucking Hunter, he'd let his gut take over. 

There was snarling, angry and terrifying even if he knew the wolf was on his side, and something bright blue flashed in the setting sun, and he fired several shots in the vicinity of the gray-hooded figure that had ambushed them.

They weren't even silver bullets.

_ “Do not engage,” _ Leia's voice wrang in his head, and he could only laugh, rolling onto his back as her twin came to tower over him. Low growling reached his ears, and he flinched.

“Run, Jaina!”  _ Please run.  _

He grimaced, and emptied the rest of his weapon into the man, who jerked violently with each impact while still managing to peer down at Poe with a calm curiosity. The wolf was still growling, and he made a stupid, mad attempt to keep Skywalker's attention. 

“You don't look anything like her,” he said, noting the man's wild gray hair and watery blue eyes.

“Who are you?” Skywalker looked mildly angry, maybe frustrated that he didn't recognize either of them. Poe held his disturbingly light eyes and gave his best impression of Han Solo and Kylo Ren's roguish smirk.

“I always wanted to meet you,” he whispered, making Luke leaned in closer. Grinning, he discarded his pistol and freed Ahsoka's short klaive from inside his coat. It was a bad angle, but he made it work, grabbing a fistful of dirty fabric and yanking down to drive the blade deep into the man's side as he snarled and twisted in pain. “Your sister sends her regards.”

“You -” Skywalker's eyes moved, and Poe cursed every member of the Syndulla family. Crushed beneath the full weight of the elder werewolf, who already had his wrist gripped in a clawed vice, he could only watch as Luke flung something from his other hand.

Something that fanned out into a dozen tiny droplets of liquid, all sparkling quicksilver in the light. The wolf behind him howled in pain, and Poe opened his mouth and  _ bit _ down on the nearest body part to his face. Luke moved in one fluid motion, all the power and grace of a werewolf making him nothing but a broken doll in unyielding claws. He was conscious of flying through the air, and then colliding head-first into a large pine tree.

He caught a glimpse of brown fur and pink, seared flesh, the scent of burned fur choking his nostrils, and he opened his mouth to yell, but he couldn't seem to get enough air.

“ _ Run!” _ He mouthed, over and over.  _ Please, you fucking idiot, run.  _

_ “RUN!” _


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Ahsoka leaning against the door, ensuring her privacy from unwanted eavesdroppers, she redialed the call she'd missed earlier. It was answered immediately.
> 
> “Hello, Leia dear.”
> 
> “Sarah. Can I ask why you've skipped out on the lovely party my good friends are hosting?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I haven't abandoned any of my WIPs, I'm just having some trouble staying motivated lately. Quality matters a lot to me and if I can't put my heart into something, my work suffers, so I'd rather have sporadic updates with dry spells than subpar regular updates.
> 
> Thanks to anyone who's sticking with me <3

Tapping her fingers on the coffee cup in her hands, Innara stood in the cool morning air and just… listened. In all of her life, she’d never come upon a place so quiet, yet so full of life. The scent of fog and damp soil and molding leaves hung everywhere, along with a dozen small animals, some she had never scented before. Her shifted eyes caught their movements in the thick leaf litter, mice hunting tiny insects, squirrels digging in their winter caches, a fox or two hunting both.

It was really too bad about the people. She wouldn’t have minded spending more time in her wife’s home state, if they could just stay in the relative isolation of the lush back country, enjoying the wildlife and perhaps hunting some of it.

She took a sip of her coffee thoughtfully. There was no real reason they  _ couldn’t _ do that. Maybe not on the Argent’s property, if Renata’s relatives were as awful as she always insisted, but surely there were such things a bed-and-breakfasts and lakeside resorts.

The steam from the cup and the flavor on her tongue had distracted her, or she would never have let anyone sneak up on her. Lucky for the young man who stood at the foot of the porch, he was wise enough to keep his distance.

“Hi.” He gave her the same look-over that she was giving him, a glint in his hazel eyes that Innara was intimately acquainted with. “Are you Innara?”

She smiled slightly and inclined her head. “I am. Can I help you?”

“Oh. I, uh…” He ran a hand through a tangled of dirty blond hair that looked ridiculous curled around his shoulders. “Look, I’m Renata’s brother. Daniel.”

He watched her for a moment, as if waiting for some kind of permission to go on, but Innara had no idea what to say or how to respond to the sudden presence of her wife’s sibling. Renata would probably be furious that he was even here, intruding in what she considered her private life, but he seemed determined, so she tried to be as kindly as possible.

“Good to meet you, Daniel,” she said carefully. He blinked up at her as if she’d hurt his feelings somehow, and Innara frowned inwardly. Her own upbringing shouted in her head to invite him for coffee, but given Renata and Rey were still in bed, both of them light enough sleepers to wake violently at the wrong voice in their territory, she decided to bin that idea completely.

They stood in silence, Innara tapping her fingers on the ceramic mug in her hands and Daniel shoving his hands in his pockets and scuffing up the fallen leaves with his boots. Finally he looked up at her, then jerked his head towards the expanse of autumn trees lighting up under the first rays of sunlight.

“It’s a nice view, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

More silence. She felt like she was fucking this up rather badly, but nothing had prepared her for Renata’s family to actually be… friendly. With the way her wife talked, she had expected to be pelted with Bibles and religious pamphlets the second they stepped out the door, but so far all her brother had done was introduce himself awkwardly.

“So you’re married then? Like… legally?”

“Yes.” She turned her hand to show him her sapphire engagement ring and wedding band. “For five years now.”

“Huh. I didn’t expect you to have rings like that.” His face flushed as soon as he’d spoken and he ducked his head as Innara frowned, trying to make sense of the words.

“What sort of rings did you expect?”

“I dunno. I guess I assumed you wouldn’t like jewelry… Nat never did.” He shrugged again, casting a helpless look at his feet. “Sorry, that’s… I just wanted to meet you. So. If you need anything, I’m just the other trailer over there… Aunt Rosemary’s a little, um… set in her ways, but I don’t mind if you want to… borrow the car or something.”

“Oh.” She regarded him again, bringing all of her extra senses to bear, and decided he was genuine enough. He was human, she could tell by the scent, but he shared Renata’s blood and she could not sense any kind of threat, veiled or not. “Thank you, Daniel.”

“Yeah, sure. Tell Nat, too if you want.” He met her eyes again very briefly before he nodded again and wandered off down the path they had taken up from the moonbridge, veering off in the other direction when he came to a turn and disappearing behind the trees and brush.

The door opened behind her, the scent of soap and fog and leather reaching her heightened senses, and she turned to smile as Rey stepped up beside her.

“Good Morning.”

“Morning,” the werewolf girl smiled as she came to stand beside Innara. “Those trees are gorgeous.”

“They are.”

“Are you alright, Innara? You sound strange…” Rey’s eyes travelled over her before darting out to the gravel path and following it down. She narrowed her gaze, turning back to Innara with such a consuming curiosity in her eyes, the werecat couldn’t help but smile.

“I have had possibly the strangest encounter I’ve ever suffered in my entire life,” she said, laughing at Rey’s startled look. “One of Renata’s family members came to introduce himself. Politely.”

“I see.” Rey tilted her head, eyes narrowed and more alert than she'd looked in the last two days. “Why aren't you two in California looking for Ishida?”

“Because he has a sister who is infinitely more powerful and terrifying than either of us put together,” Renata's voice answered through the screen. She stepped outside, casting appraising looks over Rey and then Innara. “You sound like our Rey again. How do you feel?”

Rey seemed to spend a moment of two taking stock of herself before answering, but her voice was clear and even. She managed to meet Renata's eyes, if only for a short a time.

“I'm alright. I don't think I should be alone, but… It helps that it's just you two and we're out here in the middle of nowhere,” she answered honestly. “I still want Kylo madly.”

“He's coming, sweetie,” Innara assured her, reaching out to pay her hand. “He had to get some reinforcements before we go do… whatever it is we're going to do.”

“'We’ are doing nothing,” Renata said firmly, leaning out over the porch rail and inhaling deeply. She raised an inquiring brow at Innara. “Danny came to meet you?”

“Yes. For all you say about your family, I found him to be quite pleasant. He was clearly making an effort, at least.”

Renata shrugged. “He was always a smart kid. We didn't part on bad terms, but once I was gone, he was alone with his dad and our mother for years. I wrote a couple times, but our mother sent me a postcard telling me not to bother, she'd just be throwing them in the garbage, so…”

“So you gave up on your own brother, knowing your family were abusive -” Rey began, but Renata shook her head gently.

“They abused  _ me _ . Daniel was a different story. His father spoiled the shit out of him and my mother would never have raised a hand against a man, even her own son.” The werecat's expressive lips formed into a grimace. “I don't want to talk about this. I'm going for a run. Either of you feel free to join me if you want.”

She stepped inside and came back wearing nothing but an oversized battered leather coat, which fell around her when she shifted, trapping the much smaller body of the lynx beneath it. Rey glanced at Innara with amusement at the sight, and Innara smiled back, happy to see more signs of normalcy in the younger shapeshifter.

Renata got out from under the coat finally and shook herself vigorously, tufted ears flapping against her bushy face. Then she bounded down the steps, turning once to give them both a look that clearly demanded 'well…?’

“You go ahead,” Innara nodded to Rey. “Ahsoka and Sarah seemed to think it would help you to spend more time as a wolf, didn't they?”

“What are you going to do?” The young wolf asked curiously, gaining another slight smile from Innara. Despite the absolute mess she'd made making inappropriate comments about Kylo, Rey seemed to have forgiven her, and she'd grown quite fond of the girl in the last few days.

Fond enough to reach out in ways she hadn't been willing to risk previously. She squeezed Rey's arm affectionately before turning to go inside.

“I have a few things I need to look into,” she said vaguely. “Don't fret over leaving me behind. I don't much care for trekking through the underbrush anyway.”

Renata snorted and shook herself again, giving them both an impatient glare, and Innara took the hint to disappear inside. She had phone calls to make, and messages to send, and other tasks that were best done in private.

  
  
  


From the safety of a darkened corner and the shielding bulk of her old packmate, Leia Organa watched the dancers on the floor of the spectacularly-designed ballroom and wished she could see her son and his mate among them. But her brother had made that impossible, and knowing she had a hand in his schemes left her feeling cold all the way to the pit of her stomach.

“I do not see Wedge,” Chewie stage-whispered with his head turned only slightly. A man of his size should not be able to move or speak stealthily, but the old bear had always had a knack for keeping a low profile.

“No. Nor have I seen Qi'ra tonight,” she observed, hiding the movement of her lips behind the glass tumbler of brandy in her hand.

On the dance floor, Lando and Elle had taken over the spotlight in a splendidly entertaining, elegant waltz, drawing almost all of the room's attention. Almost all. Leia caught a few glances their way from Tarkin and his associates, but that was to be expected. Ahsoka Tano caught her gaze and gave a little salute with her wine glass, keen eyes bright and just as vigilant as Chewie's on the opposite side of the room.

On the table before her, Leia's phone vibrated, and she picked it up and lowered her eyes casually, taking in the caller and then setting it to silent. A few minutes later, dancing over the moment, Elle slipped into her booth, carefully arranging her blue satin gown around her knees and removing a compact from her small jeweled clutch to study her make-up.

“Qi'ra and Wedge Antilles seem to be missing,” Leia said with her eyes cast down at her phone.

“Hmm,” Elle sounded bored as she reapplied her violet lip stain. She spared Chewie a small smile when he turned her way, and the burly man inclined his head. “Good to see you as always, old man.”

He huffed at that, but didn't say much else, and the three of them sat in silence for a moment, watching the crowd. A familiar streak of red and gray caught Leia's attention slipping into the smoking room, and she caught Elle's eye as she rose to her feet.

“I think I'm going to have a cigarette.”

Chewie said nothing, but she felt his disapproving gaze nevertheless. Elle flashed her a quick smile.

“Enjoy your cancer stick,” she teased gently, lifting her glass of whiskey. “I'll stick with ruining my liver.”

“Suit yourself.”

Leia made her way through the crowd around the edges of the dance floor, noting the usual faces and taking stock of who was with whom and which guests might have consumed enough substances to loosen their tongues. The walled-in porch that had been set up for the handful of guests who liked a bit of tobacco with their alcohol was put together as elegantly as the main room, a touch Leia knew came from Elle herself.

“Leia,” the only other occupant of the room nodded a welcome, offering her pack and lighter. Leia took them with a soft thanks, and Ahsoka waited until she'd lit her own cancer stick and handed them back before speaking again.

“I have confirmation that the Crimson Dawn are quite busy with their Japanese holdings,” the werefox went on. “Yue Kaneshige has assured me any contact with Skywalker would be very bad for business.”

“I didn't expect Qi’ra to involve herself with him, but it's good to be certain,” Leia nodded. “Have you seen Wedge tonight?”

“No. Captain Antilles hasn't missed a Ball since before the last war as far as I remember. Norra and Jas aren't here, either,” she added.

Leia sighed, quietly taking a few puffs before she replied. “Do you happen to speak with any of them regularly?”

“No. But I might know someone who does,” Ahsoka answered thoughtfully, glancing in the direction of the inside door.

“I take it that someone is here tonight?”

“She is. I think I'll go catch up -”

“Wait just a moment, if you would, please,” Leia stopped her. “I need to make a phone call.”

With Ahsoka leaning against the door, ensuring her privacy from unwanted eavesdroppers, she redialed the call she'd missed earlier. It was answered immediately.

“Hello, Leia dear.”

“Sarah. Can I ask why you've skipped out on the lovely party my good friends are hosting?”

“Oh, these old bones don't do that sort of evening wear anymore, sweetheart,” the elderly woman said dismissively.

“I understand. But surely you realize I had to attend, especially with my son and his pack skipping out,” Leia explained. To be quite honest, she envied Sarah Argent the luxury of choosing to stay home. She certainly didn't want to be here, lurking on the edges of the dance floor and watching the younger folks get progressively drunker and less inhibited over the course of the night.

She hadn't really enjoyed one of these stupid things since before Han died, before Ben presented and Luke assaulted him and all of their lives went to hell. But she had to be there anyway. Leia Organa, the famous alpha werewolf, heir of the Organa and Amidala fortunes and one-time Senator, could not simply  _ skip _ a massive social function such as the Omega's Ball.

“Of course, dear. I apologize, I hadn't looked at the time. I'm sure you've heard already, but I thought I ought to speak to you directly. Your son's mate has made it safely to the farm, along with my granddaughter and her wife.” 

Leia exhaled in relief. At least Luke couldn't get to Rey, or presumably Ben once he'd joined her there. They might all hate her for arranging to send them away, but she didn't care how much animosity her son held towards her, as long as he was safe.

“Thank you,” she breathed gratefully.

“You're welcome. I do keep my word, Leia. I hope you intend to keep yours as well.”

“Yes, of course I do. I've already spoken to Amilyn. You'll know as soon as we do,” she reassured the old woman.

“Wonderful.”

She ended the call and raised her eyes to Ahsoka, but was interrupted by another incoming call before she could speak. Leia frowned down at the Caller ID.

“It's Amilyn,” she told the vixen before answering. “Hello?”

“Oh, Leia. I'm not even sure where to start.”

Once again, Leia was interrupted by what sounded like half a dozen texts hitting Ahsoka's mobile device all at once. The other woman's sapphire eyes took in the screen before she looked up grimly.

“Son of a bitch,” Ahsoka cursed. “We have to go.”

“Leia?!” Amilyn Holdo's frantic voice buzzed in her ear. “I've got Jaina Syndulla in emergency surgery -”

“Where's Poe?” She asked the voice on the phone immediately, staring straight into Ahsoka's frightened gaze.

“I don't know, Leia," the doctor's voice was heavy with fear and concern. "All I could get was that they ran into Luke and he threw liquid silver at her somehow… They were fighting, I think,a when Jaina was injured he told her to run…”

Leia closed her eyes and reached out to the wall to steady herself, taking two deep, slow breaths. Then she nodded to herself and summoned up the alpha instincts inside her.

“Go find Jacen and Hera,” she told Ahsoka. “Get them to the hospital.”

The werefox nodded, but her sharp gaze lingered on Leia a moment, her brow creased in thought.

“What will you do, Leia?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am on Tumblr @khawapashitheelder and Twitter @khawapashi if you want to holler at me or see when I post updates for my fics and writing schedules.


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